International
The Morning Science

What science found today

‹
 

Watch · Daily space and science news

How to Control the Brain with Light: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine

The Brief

  • The video covers optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control genetically modified cells, which the title ties to the 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.
  • It outlines the origins of the method, starting with algae-derived light-sensitive proteins and their use in a frog cell.
  • It discusses applications shown in mice, including additional colors of light, restoring vision, neuroscience and memory studies, and diabetes and heart problems.
  • It raises why the technique is not yet widely used in medicine and closes with a section on light-activated nanoparticles.

Why watch · It explains how a light-based tool for controlling specific cells could affect neuroscience and medical research, as recognized by a recent Nobel Prize.

  • Optogenetics
  • 2026 Nobel Prize
  • Light-sensitive proteins
  • Neuroscience

Summarised by Claude from the video’s title and description – no transcript was available, so check the video for the details.

Chapters

  1. 0:002026 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology
  2. 1:20Optogenetics and what it's about
  3. 2:35How it started with the algae and a frog cell
  4. 4:30Using with other cells
  5. 6:00Light controlled mice
  6. 6:50Additional colors
  7. 8:00Restoring vision with this technology
  8. 10:15Neuroscience and memory studies
  9. 12:20Diabetes and heart problems
  10. 15:10Why are we not seeing this used yet?
  11. 16:50Nanoparticles of light and conclusions
Show the full video description ›

Support this channel on Patreon to help me make this a full time job: https://www.patreon.com/whatdamath (Unreleased videos, extra footage, DMs, no ads) Alternatively, PayPal donations can be sent here: http://paypal.me/whatdamath Get a Wonderful Person Tee: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QFIrFX Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the 2026 nobel aware in medicine and physiology and optogenetics Links: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/press-release/ https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/popular-medicineprize2026.pdf https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.ado4513 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1753-0407.13557 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12754625/pdf/MLF2-4-697.pdf https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.adw4374 #optogenetics #nobelprize #medicine 0:00 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology 1:20 Optogenetics and what it's about 2:35 How it started with the algae and a frog cell 4:30 Using with other cells 6:00 Light controlled mice 6:50 Additional colors 8:00 Restoring vision with this technology 10:15 Neuroscience and memory studies 12:20 Diabetes and heart problems 15:10 Why are we not seeing this used yet? 16:50 Nanoparticles of light and conclusions Enjoy and please subscribe Bitcoin/Ethereum to spare? Donate them here to help this channel grow! bc1qnkl3nk0zt7w0xzrgur9pnkcduj7a3xxllcn7d4 or ETH: 0x60f088B10b03115405d313f964BeA93eF0Bd3DbF The hardware used to record these videos: New Camera: https://amzn.to/4pCVINS CPU: https://amzn.to/4qXIaxC Video Card: https://amzn.to/2M1W26C Motherboard: https://amzn.to/2JYGiQQ RAM: https://amzn.to/2Mwy2t4 PSU: https://amzn.to/2LZcrIH Case: https://amzn.to/2MwJZz4 Microphone: https://amzn.to/2t5jTv0 Mixer: https://amzn.to/2JOL0oF Recording and Editing: https://amzn.to/2LX6uvU Some of the above are affiliate links, meaning I would get a (very small) percentage of the price paid. Thank you to all Patreon supporters of this channel Special thanks also goes to all the wonderful supporters of the channel through YouTube Memberships Credit: Mark Garlick www.markgarlick.com Licenses used: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ and relevant Creative Commons licenses