The unseen structures of lightening - Johann Bernoulli Lecture

What exactly is lightning? While many envision lightning as the dramatic bolts connecting clouds to the ground, in reality 90% of significant electric discharges remain within the clouds. Some extend horizontally for hundreds of kilometres, while others surge upwards toward the ionosphere. These discharges generate large amounts of greenhouse gases and under certain conditions they trigger nuclear reactions and create antimatter. But how does this phenomenon occur? To comprehend the mechanics of lightning, we must delve into processes occurring at speeds far too rapid for human perception. Drawing from laboratory experiments, computer models, and observations from the ground, planes and space, what insights have we gained into the nature of lightning?