J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, ASAP Article, 10.1021/ja903070u
© 2009 American Chemical Society

Scientists have stopped a tiny worm like a deer in the headlights, paralyzing it with a stream of light. The mechanism that induces the incapacitation isn’t yet clear, but the paralysis occurs after the nematodes, C. elegans, are fed a molecule known to react to light. While toxic to some of the worms, the reaction appears to be reversible in others, researchers report online October 7 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The work may add to the growing toolbox of molecules that biologists employ to study cells. By using light to trigger changes in molecules, scientists can spy on a cell’s activity, witnessing what happens when messenger molecules speak with their target cells. “Light-driven reactions can be a powerful tool for studying biological processes,” comments neuroscientist Ehud Isacoff of the University of California, Berkeley.


http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/48362/title/Paralyzed%2C_then_unparalyzed%2C_by_the_light
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