Karl Deisseroth of the United States and Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel of Germany were announced as this year’s winners on Monday. They were recognized for their discoveries involving light sensitive proteins and optogenetics, a method that allows scientists to control nerve cells using light.
The story behind their work began with something much smaller than the human brain. Hegemann and Nagel studied a tiny single celled organism called an alga and discovered a special protein that responds to light.
The protein can act like a small switch inside a cell.
Deisseroth later helped turn that discovery into a tool for studying nerve cells.
By introducing the light sensitive protein into nerve cells, scientists could use light to switch selected cells on or off.
This gave researchers something they had not been able to do with the same level of control before. Instead of simply watching what happens in the brain, they could activate particular nerve cells and study what happened as a result.
The technique, known as optogenetics, has since become an important tool in neuroscience. Researchers have used it to study brain circuits linked to memories, feelings, movement and behaviour.
It is also being studied in connection with conditions affecting the brain and nervous system.
The discovery could also have future medical uses.
Researchers are exploring whether the technique can help restore some vision and support treatments for certain neurological conditions.
However, many possible medical treatments are still being developed and studied.
For the three scientists, the Nobel Prize recognises decades of research that began with a basic question about how a tiny organism responds to light.
Their work eventually helped create a new way to study one of the most complicated parts of the human body.
The discovery is a reminder that major scientific breakthroughs do not always begin with a big invention.
Sometimes they begin with a simple question, careful research and years of work to understand the answer.
If you have an article, opinion piece, event or news story you would like published, Global News Arena would love to hear from you.
Send a message to Global News Arena Contact to get in touch.
