light

Increasing mitochondrial activity in worms by engineering a light-activated proton pump into the organelle’s membrane extends the animals’ lifespan without evidence of health decline, according to a preprint.

Researchers have long suspected that an ingredient in sunscreen called oxybenzone was harming corals, but no one knew how. A new study shows how corals turn oxybenzone into a sunlight-activated toxin.

A study finds that a baculovirus that infects cotton bollworm larvae changes the expression of genes involved in light perception, driving them to seek heights that could favor viral transmission.

By viewing countless hours of expectorating worms, researchers discover a unique way in which neurons control the movement of muscles.

A light-sensitive gene involved in regulating the body clock may also influence mood, mediating the effect of light.

Under constant darkness, Drosophila’s ability to form lasting memories is impaired.

Strategies to make lab animals forget, remember, or experience false recollections probe how memory works, and may inspire treatments for neurological diseases.

Researchers have developed ways to manipulate neurons involved in a particular memory to make mice recall an experience or to remember something that never happened.

The plant geneticist has revolutionized researchers’ understanding of how light affects plant growth and development, and is engineering plants to combat climate change.

The click beetle’s intricate false eyes cast a deep black color with the help of pigment-coated hairs.

Flashing lights activate fly navigation neurons.

See a close-up of the deep-sea dragonfish’s transparent teeth.

Slithering snakes mimic waves of light, “diffracting” as they pass by an obstacle.

Researchers used infrared light to relieve itchy mice.

Researchers have outfitted brewer’s yeast with light-harvesting semiconductors to boost chemical productivity.

Researchers identify neurological pathways through which light affects mood and learning in mice.

Pectin fragments may signal plant cells to maintain a type of growth suited to darkness.

Scientists infuse plants with the luminescence of fireflies. 

Genetically engineered "disco bacteria" sense and respond to different colors of light, creating both stunning art in the culture dish and new possibilities for synthetic biology.