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Why petting your cat leads to static electricity

Anyone who has ever pet a cat or shuffled their feet across the carpet knows that rubbing objects together generates static electricity. But an explanation for this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two millennia.

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Physicists achieve high selectivity in nanostructures using selenium doping
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Device malfunctions from continuous current lead to discovery that can improve design of microelectronic devices
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Nanomaterials
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Biotechnology
New biosensor illuminates physiological signals in living animals
Cell & Microbiology
New method developed to relocate misplaced proteins in cells
Earth Sciences
New tool to help decision makers navigate possible futures of the Colorado River
Environment
Many people in the Pacific lack access to adequate toilets—and climate change makes things worse
Other
Saturday Citations: Football metaphors in physics; vets treat adorable baby rhino's broken leg
Environment
A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons
Biochemistry
AI tools help uncover enzyme mechanisms for lasso peptides
Molecular & Computational biology
New data science tool greatly speeds up molecular analysis of our environment
Planetary Sciences
Citizen science collaboration yields precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b
Earth Sciences
Study reveals large ocean heat storage efficiency during the last deglaciation
Cell & Microbiology
Genome sequence analysis identifies new driver of antimicrobial resistance
Evolution
Evolved in the lab, found in nature: Uncovering hidden pH sensing abilities in microbial cultures
Planetary Sciences
Algorithm used on Mars rover helps scientists on Earth see data in a new way
Cell & Microbiology
Double-edged STING: A new pathway involved in aging
Environment
Deforestation in the Amazon is driven more by domestic demand than by the export market, finds study
Evolution
New database covers distribution and evolutionary history of megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands
Ecology
Study reveals gender gap in ecology research
General Physics
Scientists propose a new method to search for dark matter using LIGO
Ecology
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Plants & Animals
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