Ororo Munroe just needs to wave her pinky finger to create some lightning. The best we humans could do is scrape our feet against the carpet and make some static. Scientists have found a better way though.

Scientists of the Optical Society of America recently found a way to trigger lightning in thunderclouds with the help of laser light. By using laser pulses, scientists create plasma filaments that conduct electricity in the clouds.

For now, the device can't produce lightning that strikes the ground, and the lightning only discharged in the clouds themselves. Scientists are currently reprogramming the laser to create longer-lived lightning blasts.

The method of using lasers to create lightning has been a long standing idea which has been suggested more than 30 years ago. No one's been able to do it until now though, since previous technology wasn't strong enough to generate long plasma channels.

The study, once perfected, will be able to help research in other fields. For instance, it could help engineers test lightning-sensitivity of airplanes, or to create a field of lightning bolts, name it Thunder Plains, and make it impossible to dodge 200 bolts one after another.