#ScientificDiscovery

In a historic breakthrough, scientists have finally confirmed a 67-year-old hypothesis about vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, radically advancing our understanding of how this crucial vitamin works in the human body. This finding not only settles a decades-old scientific debate but also unlocks new possibilities for eco-friendly chemical production, with potential impact reaching far beyond the laboratory.

The story of this discovery begins in 1958, when a chemist from Columbia University theorized that vitamin B1 might perform its vital metabolic functions through the formation of an elusive molecular structure called a carbene. Carbenes are notoriously unstable and tend to decompose instantly in aqueous (water-based) environments like the human body, making the hypothesis seem improbable for more than half a century. For years, the idea was dismissed as “crazy,” as quoted by Vincent Lavallo, a chemist at the University of California, Riverside, who led the recent research that validated this bold proposal.

In a discovery that could redefine our understanding of the human brain, scientists are investigating a mind-bending question: can neurons, long known as the brain’s electrical messengers, also transmit light? This remarkable hypothesis—now being tested by interdisciplinary teams blending neuroscience with cutting-edge optics—could revolutionize both scientific knowledge and medical technology, including brain-computer interfaces and diagnostics for neurological diseases (SciTechDaily).

For Thai readers, the implications are far-reaching. The brain has traditionally been thought of as a network of cells communicating via electrochemical signals, with electricity and chemicals passing information rapidly between neurons. Now, research teams such as those at the University of Rochester are asking if neurons’ long, thin axons could carry light particles (photons) in a way that’s similar to fiber-optic cables used in internet communications (University of Rochester News Center). If proven true, this would mean the brain may have an entirely new layer—an optical internet—hidden within its already intricate wiring.