Sarah's Shiny Science: all you need for this experiment is some sticky tape

I was shocked when my nana rang me the other day to ask what I would like for Christmas, but she quickly pointed out that it is ONLY EIGHT WEEKS ON THURSDAY!!! Yikes.

If like me you would rather put that scary thought to the back of your mind and go off on a bit of a tangent, then here's an interesting discovery: scientists have found that X-rays are emitted when a roll of sticky tape is unwound in a vacuum.

Researchers at the University of California found that they could use this simple setup to take X-ray images of their fingers. Now that's something to think about as you wrap your Christmas pressies.

To watch a video of this experiment in action and to find out how you can test this for yourself at work, continue reading after the jump...

The phenomenon is called [insert long and intimidating scientific word] triboluminescence and is caused by the adhesive becoming positively charged and the roll gaining an overall negative charge as the two surfaces are separated.

You can try this for yourself at work. Simply unwind a roll of sticky tape in a dark cupboard and you will see that it emits visible light (you need a vacuum for X-rays). But wait until everyone else has gone out for lunch or they might think that you've finally lost the plot and can't handle the stress as they see the cupboard door close behind you.