Opto-what? Opto-who? Optogenetics sounds like that scary elective course that you and your friends are trying to avoid to take while at the university. But it is not as bad as you think. With a little bit of creative thinking and a few science fiction parallels, you will quickly understand why Optogenetics is one of the most exciting areas of science and medicine.
On the surface, Optogenetics could allow humans to use a remote control to control our brains. How? By using light. Through this "light controller," you could press a button to put yourself to sleep instantly. If you get injured, you could turn off the pain receptors in your brain with the push of another button on the controller. Or use your controller to control the different motor functions of your body.
They're already doing it using the light emitted from your TVs. ;-) To read more, click here.