Robert also sent in a link but see first https://wired.com/story/the-secret-electrostatic-world-of-insects/ … invisibly, to humans, insects and various other kinds of small creatures, even hummingbirds, use static electricity to travel around and avoid predators, and to collect pollen. New experiments are explaining how evolution may have influenced the phenomenon. Take honey bees, they accumulate static electricity with their wings as they fly around, and use this seems to influence surrounding objects, that recipricate. Even aquatic animals seem to sense electricity in the water – such as eels, sharks, and dolphins. Then we have the electric rays which harness electricity to stun their victims. Or that was the point of view in the old days. It may be the electricity is simply used to find suitable prey.
In 2013, David Robert, an ecologist at Bristol University, claimed that bees can detect and make use of electric fields generated by plants, radiating in particular from flowers at the top side of those plants. Since then the research has continued, enthusiastically by himself, and others. Spiders and ticks and various other insects have been found to use the same trick- even round worms in the stomachs of animals. They hitch rides on electric fields, some of which are generated by larger animals. We have posted on this subject before at In the News – spiders ballooning, for example, one of the most striking uses of electricity. Co-evolution is the favoured phrase at the moment. A chicken and the egg conumdrum.
Robert’s link was https://evolutionnews.org/2024/12/biological-information-in-static-electricity/ … and homes in on the other Robert, above. This appears to be a creatonist website. It features David Coppedge, an interesting guy. He is described as a free lance reporter that formerly worked 14 years for NASA Jet Propulsion, including having a role on the Cassini Mission. He was ousted from his job for sharing info with proponents of Intelligent Design. You don’t hear much about that nowadays – which isn’t surprising if it led to pogroms against them. It all ended in a court trial in which the judge didn’t show much sympathy for his belief system. Hence, the reason he became a free lance loose canon. He is also described as a nature enthusiast and reporter – an amateur biologist one might say, as well as a science consultant, and an outdoorsman and musician. Presumably, he earns a living with a media company. He actually has a BS degree in science as well as physics. Clearly no slouch and far more knowledgeable than the judge that ruled against him – as far as science is concerned. It is a fascinating link to read and I suppose his idea is that co-evolution can only occur via a helping hand from God. Lots of things in biology seem to require co-evolution and as far as I am aware mainstream do not have a viable answer as to how it happens. No doubt they would disagree with that but as there are a lot of problems with uniformitarian biology in the first instance, don’t expect any of them to admit that. Although, in the past, there have been a few – but far between. Perhaps Rupert Sheldrake’s ideas might shed some light on the subject of co-evolution. He is just the man that has tried to come up with a theory that might explain how it happens. He sold a lot of books to Joe Public, but not, it seems, to the faithful in mainstream.
Arthropods, in particular, appear to live in an electrified ecology where electr0 static energy is everywhere. They come equipped with antennae and tiny hairs that are sensitive to the electrical environment. Static charge is a component of pollination. If all the honey bees died off there are numerous wild species of bees and wasps that would take their place at the big table. Evolution would continue to work and the use of static electrictity by plants in order to attract pollinators, and by pollinators to home in on the desired pollen loaded flower, would continue much as before. A flower on a plant is grounded to the earth – like a conducting rod. Bees accumulate a positive charge simply by flapping their tiny wings rigorously and they impact with the negative charge radiated from plants. The bees feel a tractor like beam drawing them to the flower, via its antennae and sensory hairs. Coppedge quotes David Roberts liberally. The source used by Coppedge was https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)00812-1 …
Aerial electro reception appears to be widespread. See also https://phys.org/news/2021-11-electric-ecology-ingenious-ways-animals.html … wich includes geckos, spiders, hummingbirds, bumble bees and hoverflies, the latter two being very common in my own backyard. They go on to say it is likely there are hundreds, if not thousands of of other species capable of aerial reception.
See also https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240723204731.htm … where the insects discussed include butterflies and moths. The research involved 269 butterflies and moths located on different continents and inhabiting different ecological niche environments and locations. Excellent stuff.