Of nature's weapons, tornadoes are among the most unforgiving, and here's an unforgettable portrait of these storms and one extraordinary man who challenged them-and produced the first-ever photographs snatched from a rampaging twister's black heart.

Author Biography

Tim Samaras, an electrical engineer and a storm chaser for almost 20 years, is a highly touted National Geographic Grantee and the star of NG Channel's Disaster Lab (2009) and Master of Disaster (2008). He got his start as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. His 2004 NGM tornado story was one of the most widely read in the magazine's history. He holds the Guinness Book World Record for measuring the lowest pressure drop of a tornado. Stefan Bechtel, a member of Samaras's tornadohunting team, is a founding editor of Men's Health, is author of seven books on conservation, health, and investment. Together they have sold more than two million copies worldwide and have been translated into eight languages.