New optogenetic tools for watching brain nerves send signals in real time will make it easier to study brain functions and help develop therapies for brain diseases. Stanford News reports on two scientists who have worked together to create tools to observe the glowing trails of light spreading between connected nerves.

Solar cells may be a solution to global energy needs. Stanford News reports on a collaboration of mechanical engineering and physics researchers achieving an innovative crystalline solar cell with a variable band gap that can be set by stretching the lattice. This variable semiconductor could lead to solar cells that absorb more energy from the sun by being sensitive to a broader spectrum of light.