Pond algae research wins Nobel Prize for neurology breakthroughs

Pond algae research wins a Nobel Prize for pioneering new ways to study the brain.

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovering techniques to control nerve cells using proteins found in pond algae. Their work laid the foundation for optogenetics, allowing researchers to study brain function with light. The discovery began with fundamental questions about how single-celled organisms respond to light.

• The methodResearchers used microbial proteins to control electrical activity in neurons.
• The backgroundEarly experiments relied on algae genes to manipulate nerve cell channels.