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Time-lapse of 15,000 volts coursing through wood

(CBS News) When a storm hits and lightning flashes, its appearance can only be seen for a few moments. But it's impact on the nature it strikes can last a lifetime. So what exactly is happening when a burst of electricity courses through a tree? See for yourself in the video above.

The unique, time-lapse video was posted by Pratt Institute student, Melanie Hoff, and is a rather "shocking" (get it?) and visual experiment, that has earned her major props from us here at The Feed! To check out more work by Melanie Hoff, be sure to visit her Vimeo page by clicking here.

Editor's Note: At Melanie's request we replaced the YouTube video highlighted before with her fascinating and (more importantly) original Vimeo video. Thanks for letting us know, Melanie!

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