CONTROLLING THE BRAIN WITH LIGHT EARNS A PHYSIOLOGY NOBEL

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to the field of optogenetics. Optogenetics involves using light to alter the behavior of nerve cells marked by the activity of individual genes. It allows researchers to activate or shut down neurons in an otherwise intact brain. The technique has revolutionized scientists' ability to understand what different populations of nerve cells are doing.