These days biophotonics is regarded as the key science for the next generation of clinical tools and biomedical research instrumentation. This Frontiers of Science presentation explains how biophotonics represents a breakthrough imaging technology for resolving fundamental questions in biology. Axel Nimmerjahn’s lab within the Salk Institute’s Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center has developed light microscope tools that enable the study of glial cells in the intact mammalian brain. Believed to have a merely passive, supportive role in the brain, it is now becoming increasingly clear that glial cells make crucial contributions to the formation, operation, and adaptation of neural circuitry. More information and online registration is here.