quote [ Many spiders fly long distances by riding "balloons" of silk, and a new study suggests that they're propelled by more than just the wind. Electric fields at strengths found in nature can also trigger the spiders' ballooning behavior. And electrostatic forces can lift up the spiders even when the air is still. Some spiders even became airborne in the lab. "And you can change their altitude by switching the electric field on and off. If they manage to become airborne, and you switch the electric field off, they will then slowly fall. And then you can switch it back on again and they will rise. So you can see that this electric field is providing enough force to lift them against gravity." ]