# @optica.worldwide on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DeHRo-iF1VT
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/71470433-opticaworldwide-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/728e7e04d4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-10-05T13:05:27.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Optica (@optica.worldwide) — https://gondola.cc/optica.worldwide

## Caption

At the crossroads of biology, genetics and optics, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine honors three pioneering scientists for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

Karl Deisseroth (hhmi_science and stanford), Peter Hegemann (humboldt.uni) and Georg Nagel (uniwuerzburg) laid the foundation for optogenetics.

Beginning with the study of how a microscopic alga detects light, this field ultimately supplied a molecular tool for manipulating neurons in mammals, opening the door to opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that we could once only dream of.

Their groundbreaking research transformed light from a tool for observing the nervous system into a means of communicating with it, revealing new ways to probe how cells and circuits generate behavior.

Read more from OPN at the link in our bio.

#NobelPrize #Optogenetics #Biology #Medicine

[Image credits: Christopher P. Michel; Millencolin, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons]

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## Tags

medicine, nobelprize, biology, optogenetics

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