The ChoanoVirus genome codes for rhodopsin, perhaps giving its choanoflagellate host extra energy-harvesting capabilities.

Microbes that dwell in nutrient-poor waters use a photopigment called retinal to harvest energy from sunshine at levels at least equal to those stored by chlorophyll-based systems.

By targeting rhodopsin genes to neurons, scientists help blind mice see.

An account of the path to realizing tools for controlling brain circuits with light.

The optogenetic toolset is composed of genetically encoded molecules that, when targeted to specific neurons in the brain, enable the electrical activity of those neurons to be driven or silenced by light. 

This animation illustrates optogenetics—a radical new technology for controlling brain activity with light.