Scientists at Northwestern University may have figured out why walking on carpet in your socks, petting your furry friend, or rubbing a balloon on your hair creates static electricity. In a new study, ...

Static electricity was first observed in 600 B.C., but researchers have struggled to explain how rubbing causes it. In 2019, researchers discovered nanosized surface deformations at play. The same ...

Northwestern University scientists have made a new contribution to understanding a long-standing phenomenon called static electricity. In their most recent research, the researchers found that such ...

In this quick science demo, I show you how I make a pencil spin without touching it using a balloon and static electricity. I balance a colored pencil on a bottle cap, charge a balloon by rubbing it ...

Scientists are largely clueless about the origins of static electricity. A quirky group of researchers aims to change that.

MINNEAPOLIS — When someone touches something and gets shocked, it's awkward and a bit painful. What causes static electricity? And what actually happens when you get shocked? Visitors of the ...

The zap you feel the moment you touch a doorknob in winter, or the crackling sound when you take off your clothes—aren't these the images of static electricity that come to mind for most people as ...

You might feel a spark when you talk to your crush, but living things don’t require romance to make electricity. A study published October 24 in iScience suggests that the electricity naturally ...

In the evening, when I opened the dryer door, I would sometimes find my child's undergarments and my loungewear tangled ...

If you've ever had a packing peanut stick to your clothes as you unbox your Amazon delivery, then you know that Styrofoam is pretty good at generating static electricity. A new invention turns that ...