Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A Penn State-led study reveals the hidden chain reaction that starts lightning, linking electrons, X-rays, and gamma rays. (CREDIT ...

Scientists have shown that lightning-like bursts can be recreated in small blocks of solid materials in the lab.

Inside a charged storm cloud, they become something else entirely. As the electric field pushes electrons faster and faster, they slam into air molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen. These collisions ...