Bolt from the blue: Scientists work to unlock the secrets of lightning

Humans have been fascinated by lightning for millennia, associating it with God-like powers since ancient times, from the Greek god Zeus, to Thor in Norse mythology and the Hindu deity Indra.

Yet for scientists, much remains a mystery.

Farhad Rachidi, professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, is one of the leading experts studying this natural phenomenon.

He spoke to Futuris correspondent Claudio Rosmino.

Dr Rachidi says each lightning strike provides "gigabytes of data".

He and his team are now working to unlock the secrets of lightning, as he explains in this exclusive online interview above.