Three scientists win Nobel medicine prize for research on brain activity
By Emma Carter
Image information
This is a representative image for this Daily News lesson.
Intro
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists for research into how the brain controls the activity of individual nerve cells.
Vocabulary
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| individual adjective | adjective | Meaning: single and separate from others | Example: The doctor spoke with each individual patient. |
| focuses verb | verb | Meaning: gives special attention to something | Example: The course focuses on everyday English. |
| announced verb | verb | Meaning: officially told people about something | Example: The school announced the results yesterday. |
| examine verb | verb | Meaning: look at something carefully to understand it | Example: Scientists examine the samples under a microscope. |
| scheduled adjective | adjective | Meaning: planned to happen at a particular time | Example: The meeting is scheduled for Friday morning. |
The story
Three scientists have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research into how the brain controls individual nerve cells.
The winners are Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. Their work focuses on light-gated ion channels and a research method called optogenetics. These areas help scientists study how nerve cells become active or stop being active.
The prize was announced Monday, October 5, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Deisseroth is based at Stanford University in California. Hegemann works at Humboldt University in Berlin, and Nagel works at the University of Würzburg in Germany.
Optogenetics uses light to control the activity of nerve cells. This gives researchers a way to examine the brain more closely and learn how its cells work. The Nobel committee said the method is now used in laboratories around the world to study the brain.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the medicine committee, said he reached all three winners by phone on Monday. The winners will share prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million.
The medicine prize opened this year’s Nobel announcements. The physics prize is scheduled to follow on Tuesday, with chemistry and literature announced later in the week. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday, and the prize in economic sciences is scheduled for October 12.
Warm-up questions
- What do you already know about the brain and nerve cells?
- Why might scientists want to control individual nerve cells?
Comprehension questions
- Who won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
- What does optogenetics use to control nerve cells?
- Where was the prize announced?
- How can optogenetics help researchers?
- What will happen to the prize money?
Opinion questions
- Would you like to learn more about how the brain works? Why or why not?
- Do you think scientific prizes encourage useful research? Explain your view.
Further discussion
- What ethical questions might arise when scientists control nerve cells?
- How could research on nerve cells help people in the future?
Writing prompt
- Write a short summary of the scientists’ work and explain why it matters.
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