[Hank Kerchief]

Run a current through some spheres and they start to rotate...

Not a current. An electrostatic charge. There is no electromagnetic effect if there is not current.

Hank

[John Locke]

Maybe. But the story said they applied "a DC charge" to the spheres. That implies an electric current, at least for a short while. But hey, the story sure confuses me, so I could be wrong.