Traveling to Russia visa-free

The Cold War may be over (or is it?) but Russia hasn't exactly swung its doors open wide to American tourism. (Nor, in all fairness, has the US for the Russians.) Getting to the Motherland as a US tourist can be a huge headache: trips to the nearest Russian consulate, a letter of sponsorship from your hotel, ID photos, visa application forms, a visa support letter, and fees that currently hover around $160 USD for American citizens. All of this is hardly conducive to a nice weekend abroad. Luckily, there is another way to get yourself into Russia, and it's visa-free and totally legal.

Cruising into Russia visa-free

Turns out the tourists entering and leaving by port are permitted up to 72 hours in Russia as part of an "organized cruise excursion" when traveling with a cruise line officially licensed with the Russian government. For some reason (perhaps it had to do with who knew who when these laws got written, or just a certain interest in tourist dollars), cruise and ferry lines are not distinguished under these guidelines. So, if you take the overnight Saint Peter line ferry from Talinn or Helsinki, equipped with proof of hotel reservation for the duration of your stay, you are welcome to enjoy a couple of days of total freedom inside Saint Petersburg. Just carry a little cruise shuttle-bus ticket on your person, and you're part of an "organized excursion"! The same money you might have spent on your Russian visa can instead go to enjoying two nights on a cruise ship getting into and out of the country, with some left to spare for tourism inside the Motherland.

So guess who's heading to Russia in less than two weeks??

Russia, here I come!

I think it's finally spring

The bravest of flowers have opened their petals, the nights are no longer endless, and we've finally shed our heaviest winter coats. I think it may be finally time to say it's spring in Aarhus!

Optogenetics: the hot new neuro tool

Optogenetics is a hot buzzword in the world of neuroscience, but it's hardly considered a household word. So what is this futuristic sci-fi-sounding topic and why should you care? I'd like to give you a taste of what it is and the potential it holds in a 3-minute summary.

Optogenetics is a novel technique which, with the flash of a light, allows us to control the electrical activity of one or many neurons. And it comes from a surprising source: pond scum.

Magnified green algae, aka pond scum

Pond scum, otherwise known as green algae, express a molecule on their surfaces that enable them to convert sunlight into an electric signal. A little more than a decade ago, some clever neuroscientists in Stanford thought to themselves, "What if we took that pond scum gene and inserted into neurons? Might we be able to then use light to control the electrical activity of neurons?" And you know what? It worked!

Some clever neuroscientists thought to themselves, "What if we took that pond scum gene for a molecule that converts light into electricity, and inserted into neurons? Might we be able to then use light to control the electrical activity of neurons?"(Image from nsf.gov)

In labs across the world, optogenetics is being applied for a variety of different applications. Neuroscientists have genetically modified many different classes of neurons to express optogenetic molecules for different experiments. This has enabled them to, all with the flick of a switch, make normally behaving mice suddenly start running in circles, relieve depression in mice, calm anxious mice, or eliminate trembling in mice suffering from Parkinsons-like symptoms. They have even used optogenetics to target and selectively erase specific memories. And that's only a few examples.

A fiber optic is implanted in a genetically-modified mouse brain in order to deliver light directly to the genetically-modified neurons expressing optogenetic molecules in order to control the activity of these neurons with light.

(This image has been widely circulated across the internet, so I don't know which source to site. Just google "optogenetic mouse" to see for yourself.)

So that's all fine, but what does tinkering with a bunch of lab rats—er, mice—mean for you and me? Well, just a couple of months ago, in early 2016, the first human underwent optogenetic therapy as part of a new clinical trial starting in the United States. This woman, who has lost her vision, hopes to have light sensitivity restored thanks to optogenetic molecules that should soon be expressed in her eye. If it works, it will be the first proof that optogenetics can be used in medicine. Potential future applications lie in many diseases and conditions across the board, including Parkinson's Disease, anxiety, chronic pain, depression, even cancer.

This may be the first you've heard of optogenetics, but I suspect it won't be the last.

The Michelin tour of Aarhus, Part 2

Continuing our quest to find the best eat in town, we visited Aarhus's other Michelin "Bib Gourmand," Hæværk, last night. The restaurant can best be described as cozy, intimate, informal, and trendy, in short, the definition of the Danish concept hygge. The restaurant recently changed their tasting menu to pre-dinner snacks and 5 courses including a choice of dessert or cheese platter for 450 kroner (approx. $68 US). Going meat-free (but still eating fish) was easily accommodated.

Seating along a raised table at which parties were separated by stacks of cookbooks

Hæværk isn't your usual restaurant. There is no menu, and your chef will surprise you dish by dish. The restaurant works with local ingredients that may be limited in quantity, so you might not even be eating the same thing as your neighboring table. Course after course continued to surprise and impress us with the expertly balanced blends of flavors, textures, colors, and spices. We found the service to be friendly, if a bit slow, and (as per the Danish norm) very skilled in English.  No longer the novices in tasting menus that we once were, we restricted our wine pairing rather than trying to keep up glass per course. This way, we and our wallets can really appreciate every last course, and can even afford to add on extra sweets and coffee/tea guilt-free.

Our Hæværk tasting menu

Overall, I was very impressed, and frankly surprised that Pondus and Hæværk had even been placed in the same category. No question as to the winner of my Michelin Bib Gourmand competition. The only thing left to ask is when we can make our next reservation!