A curious color change

The field of optogenetics realizes a dream first articulated by Francis Crick in the 1970s: to use light to turn specific neurons on (or off), so as to tease apart brain function and mechanisms. Few could have anticipated that the technical solution to this grand neurobiology challenge would come from basic studies in Archaea and algae. The 2021 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award recognizes the contributions of Dieter Oesterhelt, Peter Hegemann, and Karl Deisseroth for their discovery of microbial light-sensing proteins that can activate or silence individual brain cells and for their use in developing optogenetics, which has revolutionized neuroscience. Cell's Nicole Neuman had a conversation with Dieter Oesterhelt about his startling discovery that Archaea also possess rhodopsins, how this led to many other discoveries and technologies, and his experiences in cultivating scientific talent such as fellow award-winner Peter Hegemann. Excerpts from this conversation are presented below, and the full conversation is available with the article online.