Optogenetics: Still a Hot Topic
KAREN A. NEWMAN, GROUP PUBLISHER,
karen.newman@photonics.com Optogenetics has been getting a lot of press for several years now. An early mention of it as an emerging field came in a news story on
Photonics.com dated Oct. 13, 2009, which was a report of a hot topics session at a recently wrapped Frontiers in Optics meeting.
In July 2010, contributing editor Marie Freebody wrote a brief article on the emerging topic in this magazine. That same year, optogenetics was named Method of the Year by
Nature.
In this issue — a very short five years later — Freebody takes a fresh look at optogenetics. “
An Illuminated State of Mind,” beginning on
page 24, reviews the method’s humble beginnings and probes new questions as optogenetics research spreads quickly around the world.
In “
Pushing Sensitivity to the Brink: Selecting the Right Imaging Technology for Your Application,” Myriam Francoeur and Yoann Gosselin, of Nüvü Cameras, explain how, with the right camera, imaging systems can produce dramatically high-resolution images at fast speeds. Read the article, beginning on
page 30.
Stacy Carrier and Jude Schneck, of tec5USA, discuss how “
Spectroscopy Can Head Off Food Safety Crises,” beginning on
page 36. According to the authors, spectroscopy is a safe, nondestructive analytical method for improving quality control and assurance at food production facilities through real-time measurement of the products at various processing stages.
Be sure to check out the Microscopy Sourcebook, inside this issue, beginning on page 39.
In it, we’ve collected a variety of resources for everyone working in microscopy in the life sciences, including the latest products, a supplier directory and a list of relevant webinars available on demand at
www.photonics.com.
Enjoy the issue.
LATEST NEWS