A Harvard scientist is digging into the reason why sneakers make their trademark squeaking sound on basketball courts worldwide.

High-speed footage reveals shoe squeaks can start with a tiny bolt of lightning — plus, evidence that a debated brain phenomenon exists in humans. Research Article : Djellouli et al.

Basketball shoes on a gym floor, bicycle brakes in need of a tune-up, or the squeal of tires are everyday examples of squeaking sounds. Such sounds have long been attributed to stick-slip friction, or ...