The mysterious origin of lightning was finally uncovered through an ingenious laboratory experiment, revealing the ...

In the public imagination, lightning is already a powerful force, capable of splitting trees and igniting wildfires. But to ...

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging ...

The collision of two lightning-bolts-in-the-making spawned an exceedingly brief but extremely energetic flash of gamma rays. This first-of-its-kind observation may help explain an origin of some of ...

Lightning has captivated scientists for centuries, but despite extensive research, the precise atmospheric conditions that trigger a lightning strike within thunderclouds have remained a profound ...

Thunderstorms often begin to develop early in the day when the sun heats the air near the ground and pockets of warmer air start to rise in the atmosphere. When these pockets of air reach a certain ...

A green spectacle. With protective eyewear, ISTA PHD student Andrea Stöllner takes a glimpse into the experimental chamber (in the foreground) where two laser beams trap a single particle. One ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year. Lightning is most common during the summer, ...

We know Earth formed roughly 4.54 billion years ago and that the first single cell lifeforms were present roughly 1 billion years after that. What we don’t know is what triggered the process that ...

Europe recorded 300,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours after extreme heat. Lightning triggered fires in several areas, damaged buildings and led to local evacuations. Scientists explain how heatwaves ...