Open AccessFinding the Spark
Author(s) -
Joel M. Kralj
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bioelectricity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2576-3113
pISSN - 2576-3105
DOI - 10.1089/bioe.2021.0017
Subject(s) - spark (programming language) , mentorship , rhodopsin , relay , statement (logic) , state (computer science) , carry (investment) , computer science , psychoanalysis , psychology , cognitive science , chemistry , art , neuroscience , philosophy , visual arts , physics , epistemology , biochemistry , business , retinal , power (physics) , algorithm , quantum mechanics , finance , programming language
It began, as with many good things, at a happy hour. Adam Cohen, a young assistant professor asked whether rhodopsins could be used to optically sense voltage. In the heady days of 2009, channel rhodopsin had just been unveiled as a voltage actuator in neurons. Adam had the insight to question whether rhodopsins could be run in reverse; could optical changes in a protein relay the cellular voltage state using light? This was one of the earliest lessons I learned under his mentorship, and the first piece of advice in this retrospective-turning a scientific question or statement on its head can be the basis for many fantastic research projects.