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 ...

In storm clouds, ice does more than just float or fall—it might actually help generate electricity. A new study in Nature Physicsfinds that when ordinary ice is bent, it can produce an electric charge ...

The research was led by Victor Pasko, a professor of electrical engineering in the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His team combined advanced mathematical modeling ...

He found that the same electron cascade process could explain these events when conditions fall just short of producing lightning. By understanding how small changes in electric field strength affect ...