Scientists have suspected that direct lightning strikes are good for some trees, but now they’ve confirmed it. A new study shows that a tall tropical tree species called Dipteryx oleifera has evolved to become 68% more likely to be jolted by a bolt of lightning. Scientists who studied six years of data in a Panama rainforest think that’s because lightning kills pests and neighboring competitors, making it easier for the species to survive. “It's better off for a Dipteryx oleifera tree to be struck than not,” said lead author Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.