Chemistry
The Mechanism of Photoisomerization in Retinal for Vision Signaling
Quick fact
The photoisomerization of 11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal happens in about 200 femtoseconds, making it one of the fastest biological reactions known.
Why this is interesting
You just saw a flash of light—but how did a photon of light, a particle with no mass, become an image in your brain? The secret lies in a single molecule that changes shape in less than a trillionth of a second.