How do the Star Trek com badges stay attached?

Several times, in several episodes throughout all of the series, there's a time when someone just rips off their comm badge, or they put one on. There's no pin on it, and it's a seemingly flawless transition of "I put the badge on and it stays." Is it explained anywhere how these stay on with little effort to put them on?

EDIT

I'd like to see an in-universe answer more, but as stated, I think both in and out would be interesting.

Answer

From http://star-trek.answers.wikia.com/wiki/How_are_combadges_and_rank_pips_attached_to_the_uniform:

They are attached magnetically. The fabric of their uniforms has metallic properties, even though they are not actually metallic. They "resemble" it as far as the physics of the com badges are concerned.

In the Star Fleet Technical Manual (1973), it was referred to as "magnatomic adhesion"

(note: SFTM is not canon but pretty authoritative).

For another non-canon but "authoritative" source, we have GURPS: (TREK - THE UNAUTHORIZED SOURCEBOOK, 2d edition)*

COMMUNICATORS: ... Comm badges can adhere to almost any surface using a magnatomic adhesion area. ... (SECTION 2F - "TREK TECH" - Part 6 - Miscellaneous)

Comments

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