The Birth of Optogenetics
An account of the path to realizing tools for controlling brain circuits with light
By Edward S. BoydenJuly 2011
Table of Contents
Cover Story
Features
Exosome Explosion
By Clotilde ThéryThese small membrane vesicles do much more than clean up a cell’s trash—they also carry signals to distant parts of the body, where they can impact multiple dimensions of cellular life.
Best Places to Work Academia, 2011
By The Scientist StaffWhether it’s attending a Scottish dance party or asking physics buffs to custom build your tools, researchers at this year’s top institutions are getting creative at work.
Departments
Editorial
New New Things
By Mary Beth AberlinWhy we love our jobs—there’s never a dull moment.
Notebook
For Whom the Bell Tolls
By Cristina LuiggiEleanor Simpson on how dopamine helps rats learn and may lead humans to addiction
C-ing with the Lights Out
By Richard P. GrantIn the dark Arctic shallows one researcher finds heterotrophic marine bacteria doing a surprising amount of carbon fixing.
Trading Pelts for Pestilence
By Jef AkstResearchers trace the evolution and spread of the tuberculosis bacterium back to the early fur trade in Canada.
Scientist to Watch
By Alison McCookOne of the researchers instrumental in constructing the fluid mosaic model of cell membranes is also a widely recognized authority on antique timepieces.
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
July 2011′s selection of notable quotes
Thought Experiment
The Scientist’s Amanuensis
By Peter Murray-Rust and Brian BrooksA virtual lab—where all sorts of parameters are monitored and recorded—promises researchers a higher degree of reproducibility.
Modus Operandi
Smashing Crystals
By Richard P. GrantA powerful new X-ray–generating laser is imaging smaller crystals than ever before.
Critic At Large
Desperately Seeking Radioisotopes
By Robert E. SchenterNew strategies are needed to address the current and future shortages of radioisotopes that threaten medical research and treatment.
The Literature
The Ninefold Ring
By Richard P. GrantEditor’s Choice in Structural Biology
Thymus Finder
By Richard P. GrantEditor’s Choice in Immunology
Probiotic Protection
By Richard P. GrantEditor’s Choice in Microbiology
Reading Frames
A Scar Nobly Got
By Michael WillrichThe story of the US government’s efforts to stamp out smallpox in the early 20th century offers insights into the science and practice of mass vaccination.
Profile
Foresight
By Karen HopkinStudying the earliest events in visual development, Carla Shatz has learned the importance of looking at one’s data with open eyes—and an open mind.
Scientist to Watch
Harmit Malik: Viral Historian
By Megan ScudellariMember, Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. Age: 38
Lab Tools
How Green Is My Lab?
By Jeffrey M. PerkelDoing science sustainably
Careers
Balancing Biases
By Jef AkstHow cognitive prejudices can influence research decisions, and how the pitfalls of human nature can be avoided
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
By Richard P. GrantSolar, The Dark X, The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth, Spiral
Foundations
The First X-ray, 1895
By Hannah WatersThe discovery of a new and mysterious form of radiation in the late 19th century led to a revolution in medical imaging.
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the July 2011 issue of The Scientist.
Multimedia
Learning Addiction
By Cristina LuiggiEleanor Simpson, a neuroscientist at Columbia University Medical Center, discusses a recent Nature paper that probes dopamine’s role in helping…
OPSINS: Tools of the trade
By Edward S. BoydenThe optogenetic toolset is composed of genetically encoded molecules that, when targeted to specific neurons in the brain, enable the…
Exosome Basics
Exosomes are small membrane vesicles secreted by most cell types. Internal vesicles form by the inward budding of cellular compartments…
Meet the Crystal Smasher
Take a tour of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), whose ultra-powerful X-ray beam is being used to solve the…
Best in Academia, 2011
By The Scientist StaffMeet some of the finalists of this year’s Best Places to Work in Academia survey. Read the full story.
Optogenetics: A Light Switch for Neurons
By Edward S. BoydenThis animation illustrates optogenetics—a radical new technology for controlling brain activity with light. Ed Boyden, the co-inventor of this technology,…
