While it's only theory right now, the researchers have found some preliminary evidence that supports their theory. Still unanswered are questions of how to manufacture a dust fine enough to do the job, and how to inject it into a tornado. But you must ask the questions. Once one understands something, then one might begin to think about practical applications. That understanding begins with math.
Tornadoes are basically airflow.
Navier-Stokes equations describe the motion of air. You must tell them what to solve and how to solve the equation. One problem is that the equations governing air flow have infinitely many solutions, and these solutions have an extremely complicated structure. Shubov says airflow at every point in space is characterized by velocity, the speed and direction of air. If you know the distribution of velocity inside the tornado, then you know how air inside the tornado will move.