Physicists have long known how lightning ends, in a blinding discharge that can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun, but the precise trigger that starts a bolt inside a cloud has remained ...

Using a precisely aligned pair of laser beams, scientists can now hold a single aerosol particle in place and monitor how it charges up. The particle’s glow signals each step in its changing ...

Around 2,500 people die in lightning strikes around India each year. — © AFP Around 2,500 people die in lightning strikes around India each year. — © AFP By ...