Crosswire — October 06, 2026
DAILY BRIEFING
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SCIENCE & MEDICINE
Optogenetics Wins the Nobel — and It's a Genuine Landmark
What changed: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to American psychiatrist-neurologist Karl Deisseroth and German researchers Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for founding optogenetics. Hegemann and Nagel identified channelrhodopsin — a light-sensitive protein from algae — in the early 2000s; Deisseroth figured out how to insert it into neurons and switch them on and off with light. Prize: 12 million Swedish kronor (~£900,000), split three ways.
Why it matters: This is the tool that turned…
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