The 2026 Nobel medicine prize honours three scientists who found how to switch nerve cells on and off with light.

The winners are Karl Deisseroth of Stanford, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University and Georg Nagel of Würzburg.

They were recognised for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

The three will share 12 million Swedish kronor, about $1.2 million.

In the 1990s, Hegemann found a light-sensitive protein that helps an alga swim toward light.

With Nagel, he showed the protein, channelrhodopsin, works as a light-activated switch.

In 2005, Deisseroth used it to control neurons in rats, transforming brain research.

Read the full article for more details on the 2026 Nobel medicine prize.