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Wednesday 22 November 2017
Lightning makes new isotopes
A streak of lightning in the skies over Japan has generated positrons – the antimatter equivalents of electrons – and radioactive carbon-14, confirming a theoretical prediction, according to a paper published in Nature on 22 November.
The main source of the carbon-14 in the atmosphere has generally been considered to be cosmic rays.
In principle, lightning could also contribute to the supply.
Nature
