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Weekend


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March 26, 2004

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Lightning strikes kill thousands of people every year. Does lightning ever do anyone any good?

    A. On the planetary scale, lightning may have helped in the early formation of amino acids, precursor to life on Earth, says Colby College's James R. Fleming, historian of science and technology. Long ago, lightning perhaps brought fire to humankind. Today, lightning fixes nitrogen in the air, creating natural fertilizer, and ignites eco-sound forest-thinning fires. Also, lightning's electromagnetic fields aid scientists in study of the atmosphere.


     
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