New on-off 'switch' triggers and reverses paralysis in animals with a beam of light

In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off 'switch' that paralyses animals when exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light. The animals stay paralysed even when the light is turned off. When exposed to ordinary light, the animals become unparalysed and wake up. Their study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). It reports the first demonstration of such a light-activated switch in animals...

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