Here we go again.  We humans just can’t get over the allure of controlling the weather.  But why should we?  If there’s one force in nature that influences everyone on the planet everyday, for better or worse, it’s the weather.  From cloud seeding to oceanic microbubbles, if there’s a way to change world climates, we’ll try it.

Thus recent news of European scientists’ attempts to use an infrared laser for cloud generation easily piques our interest.

“…the laser pulses generate clouds by stripping electrons from atoms in air, which encourage the formation of hydroxyl radicals.  Those convert sulphur and nitrogen dioxides in air into particles that act as seeds to grow water droplets.”

This basically amounts to another cloud seeding technique.  And although this scientific team’s infrared laser technique yields successful results in controlled laboratory-based experiments, real-world scalability to produce climate altering rain clouds still requires much more process optimization and refinement.  Check out the brief video below…

[Via:  NewScientist]