A laser pointed at a stormy sky can guide lightning strikes to a safer path, a new study shows.⁠ ⁠ Using a car-size prototype assembled atop a Swiss peak, an international group of researchers demonstrated for the first time that it was possible to use a laser to guide lightning. The results, published Monday in the journal Nature Photonics, mark a major milestone in developing a novel lightning protection strategy—one of the most ambitious since Benjamin Franklin came up with the lightning rod.⁠ ⁠ Matteo Clerici, a University of Glasgow physicist who wasn’t involved in the research, called the demonstration a “game-changer,” but said the technology is still in its infancy, and that commercialization is a distant prospect requiring further investment.⁠ ⁠ The idea of trying to make a lightning rod with a laser has been around since the laser was first conceptualized more than 50 years ago, according to Aurélien Houard, a research scientist at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France, and a co-author of the new study. Short, high-power pulses from a laser can super heat the air, which helps the air become electrically conductive along the path of the laser.⁠ ⁠ Lightning, a natural discharge of electricity between clouds, the air, or the ground, can be highly destructive due to its unpredictability—causing thousands of casualties annually. Lightning also causes forest fires and power outages, as well as damages to electronic systems and infrastructure, with associated costs of billions of dollars each year, the study authors previously wrote.⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ 🎥: Scientify/University of Geneva