ok now what
June 30, 2023 4:10 PM Subscribe
Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts "Thought ticks were terrifying? They just got worse. Turns out they can use static electricity to launch through the air onto hosts, including you! " [paper]
Turns out I need to start a list of Things I Didn't Want to Know.
posted by hydra77 at 4:33 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 4:33 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
So, the question in my mind is, having not yet read the article, do anti-static sprays like Static Guard work against this?
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on June 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on June 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
hydra77: Here's a fascinating one for your list: seriously, don't click if tick-anxiety is a thing.
posted by lalochezia at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by lalochezia at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've just finished reading Ed Yong's "An Immense World," about the sensory experiences of animals with different sensory apparatus than humans. The little hairs on some insects get reoriented by electric field. This probably gives those insects a tactile sense of the electric field in three dimensions, which e.g. bees use to distinguish the flat parts of flowers from their pointier tips.
I don't remember whether ticks were in the book as having electroperception, but if they are using electric field to direct their airborne motion, they can almost certainly tell when to jump.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:44 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't remember whether ticks were in the book as having electroperception, but if they are using electric field to direct their airborne motion, they can almost certainly tell when to jump.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:44 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
well, in Michigan we don't have ticks so.
posted by clavdivs at 4:44 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 4:44 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Does anyone else remember the hack of using bounce dryer sheets to repel bug bites? Now I’m wondering if there was some truth to that nonsense!
posted by sdrawkcab at 4:45 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by sdrawkcab at 4:45 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
or static electricity.
posted by clavdivs at 4:45 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 4:45 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
well, in Michigan we don't have ticks
yet
posted by lalochezia at 5:04 PM on June 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
clip on tick repellent gizmos with a battery wired to a resistor and a LED incoming soon. Battery not included.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:05 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:05 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
This does explain how I get them on me when I know I've not brushed against any vegetation. I'm in New Jersey, Lyme disease central (I've had it at least once), and I am very careful not to brush against tick-harboring vegetation.
posted by mollweide at 5:16 PM on June 30, 2023
posted by mollweide at 5:16 PM on June 30, 2023
Faraday Hiking Pants.
A certain configuration of tinfoil should suffice, if I understand the issue correctly ...
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:27 PM on June 30, 2023
A certain configuration of tinfoil should suffice, if I understand the issue correctly ...
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:27 PM on June 30, 2023
A more elegans form of locomotion has yet to be invented. (Ars Technica: The tiniest hitchhikers: Nematodes leap onto bumblebees via electric fields)
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:46 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:46 PM on June 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
So, the question in my mind is, having not yet read the article, do anti-static sprays like Static Guard work against this?
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on June 30 [+] [!]
Chances are, the tucks develop only one type of charge for this, I would guess negative, since most particles suspended in the air are positive, and your body might charge itself positively to repel those particles (I suggested once before that asthmatics might already be doing this)
So it would actually be pretty easy to have a battery powered Tesla coil to give yourself a negative charge too, and thereby repel the ticks. Better patent that pretty quick, snuffleupagus!
posted by jamjam at 6:04 PM on June 30, 2023
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on June 30 [+] [!]
Chances are, the tucks develop only one type of charge for this, I would guess negative, since most particles suspended in the air are positive, and your body might charge itself positively to repel those particles (I suggested once before that asthmatics might already be doing this)
So it would actually be pretty easy to have a battery powered Tesla coil to give yourself a negative charge too, and thereby repel the ticks. Better patent that pretty quick, snuffleupagus!
posted by jamjam at 6:04 PM on June 30, 2023
Deer are the definitive host for these ticks (meaning that deer are essential for tick reproduction), and I’ve been wondering for years about the fact that deer antlers look like ideal corona discharge structures because of all the points and their spatial distribution (that corona discharge can become visible in a strong electric field, and then we call it St. Elmo’s fire).
Most lightning is negative, so you would think that if deer had a mechanism whereby they could manipulate their own charge they would charge themselves negative to reduce the probability of being struck by lightning.
That seems like a stronger selection factor to me, and would make it harder for deer to evolve to be positively charged to avoid the ticks, so I’m changing my guess, and now think the ticks are probably positively charged in order to help them jump on negatively charged deer.
posted by jamjam at 6:40 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Most lightning is negative, so you would think that if deer had a mechanism whereby they could manipulate their own charge they would charge themselves negative to reduce the probability of being struck by lightning.
That seems like a stronger selection factor to me, and would make it harder for deer to evolve to be positively charged to avoid the ticks, so I’m changing my guess, and now think the ticks are probably positively charged in order to help them jump on negatively charged deer.
posted by jamjam at 6:40 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
I’ve now seen a finite element model of a cow. Didn’t think that would happen. It wasn’t even spherical!
I do have my reservations about the paper. It feels like the kind of thing I’d see at various IEEE conferences where people (including me) would be studying things we probably didn’t have the background for.
As for hiking in New Jersey, I’m careful about it too, and yet also have had Lyme at least once.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:21 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
I do have my reservations about the paper. It feels like the kind of thing I’d see at various IEEE conferences where people (including me) would be studying things we probably didn’t have the background for.
As for hiking in New Jersey, I’m careful about it too, and yet also have had Lyme at least once.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:21 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ticks can be attracted across air gaps several times larger than themselves by the static electricity that their hosts naturally accumulate
the static field and tick attraction needs a new metric so I'm going to allocate the sesame seed and in this instance the average static charge will attract the tick 3 possibly 4 sesame seeds.
posted by clavdivs at 7:27 PM on June 30, 2023
the static field and tick attraction needs a new metric so I'm going to allocate the sesame seed and in this instance the average static charge will attract the tick 3 possibly 4 sesame seeds.
posted by clavdivs at 7:27 PM on June 30, 2023
Charged objects can generate an attraction to electrically neutral conductors because their proximity induces a local region of opposite charge on the surface of the conductor. The charged object needs something like momentum toward the conductor to get the proximity in the first place, but after that it will be attracted.
That’s apparently why sticky fibers of spider webs tend to be conductive — it makes them leap out and grab at passing charged insects.
And our naked skin must make us better conductors than most furry animals, I’d bet.
posted by jamjam at 7:47 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
That’s apparently why sticky fibers of spider webs tend to be conductive — it makes them leap out and grab at passing charged insects.
And our naked skin must make us better conductors than most furry animals, I’d bet.
posted by jamjam at 7:47 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
the static field and tick attraction needs a new metric
how about the 'yikes.' Although I'd say the yikes should be calibrated to spider magnetism, and ticks can scale to that.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:50 PM on June 30, 2023
how about the 'yikes.' Although I'd say the yikes should be calibrated to spider magnetism, and ticks can scale to that.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:50 PM on June 30, 2023
White footed mice are the most important host for Lyme disease, not deer.
posted by mollweide at 7:56 PM on June 30, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 7:56 PM on June 30, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm going to tell my tick story.
When I was young, we went to visit some family friends on Mackinaw Island, Michigan.
We went for a hike, and when we came back, noticed we had lots of weird, tiny, red spots on our socks/legs...
Tiny little ticks. OMFG
posted by Windopaene at 8:04 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
When I was young, we went to visit some family friends on Mackinaw Island, Michigan.
We went for a hike, and when we came back, noticed we had lots of weird, tiny, red spots on our socks/legs...
Tiny little ticks. OMFG
posted by Windopaene at 8:04 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
> And our naked skin must make us better conductors than most furry animals, I’d bet.
The ticks are attracted to charged animals.
From one of the researcher's tweets:
The ticks are attracted to charged animals.
From one of the researcher's tweets:
Most animals on land accumulate electrostatic charge as they move around, rubbing up against grass or sand etc. Static charges can attract each other - why wouldn't ticks be attracted onto their hosts? First we charged up rabbit fur and saw this when we brought a tick nearbyposted by sebastienbailard at 9:32 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
...
This is weird because you would expect ticks to only be attracted to the charges opposite their own - opposites attract, like charges repel. What does this mean? Ticks are polarizing in the electric field of their host, i.e their charges are moving to make them always attractive!
Caught my first tick feasting on me, ever, this week. I was wearing long pants and everything. What a swizz.
posted by biffa at 1:08 AM on July 1, 2023
posted by biffa at 1:08 AM on July 1, 2023
their charges are moving to make them always attractive!
Ticks got the rizz
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:01 AM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ticks got the rizz
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:01 AM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
so I should start dragging a chain behind me when I'm out in the woods?
posted by mr vino at 9:27 AM on July 1, 2023
posted by mr vino at 9:27 AM on July 1, 2023
Who knew my mobile Faraday cage would be so useful?
posted by doctor_negative at 9:58 AM on July 1, 2023
posted by doctor_negative at 9:58 AM on July 1, 2023
It's a Faustian nightmare! Some blood-gorged little demon from Hell sucking the very soul from my being!! Yech!
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:55 AM on July 1, 2023
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:55 AM on July 1, 2023
So, not only can ticks fly now, they have ion propulsion.
posted by jimfl at 6:00 PM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jimfl at 6:00 PM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
So, not only can ticks fly now, they have ion propulsion.
If they make a noise like tiny TIE fighters it would be easier to detect them.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:02 AM on July 2, 2023
If they make a noise like tiny TIE fighters it would be easier to detect them.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:02 AM on July 2, 2023
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