In a development that sounds like a rejected sci-fi pitch, Brigham Young University's football team is now wearing headsets that beam near-infrared light onto their scalps and, yes, up their noses. The treatment, called photobiomodulation, is part of the players' regular recovery routine, because nothing says "cutting-edge sports science" like looking like you're cosplaying a glowing unicorn.

The logic, according to emerging science, is that the light may help the brain become more resilient to damage, potentially reducing the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), the degenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma. Researchers first brought the headsets to B.Y.U. in 2021 as part of a small randomized trial. The results - signs of reduced brain inflammation among users over the season - were promising enough that the team ordered more. Because if there's one thing football programs love, it's a gadget that might mitigate the consequences of repeatedly slamming one's head into other human beings.

Near-infrared light is just one of several surprising therapeutic avenues scientists are exploring for C.T.E. Others include manipulating the gut microbiome, stimulating the vagus nerve, inducing a psychedelic experience, and repurposing drugs that might quiet inflammation in the brain. In other words, the quest to save football players' brains now spans your stomach, your nervous system, your consciousness, and your local pharmacy - a veritable buffet of hope.

All this research is driven by mounting concerns over the long-term brain health of contact-sport athletes. A study published Wednesday used a statistical model to estimate that three in four former National Football League players who died between 2008 and 2023 most likely had signs of C.T.E. in their brains at death. That's a staggering statistic that makes the search for solutions feel less like a quirky science experiment and more like a race against time - with the clock being the cumulative number of hits a player takes.

So while the image of football players donning light-emitting nose helmets may seem absurd, the stakes are anything but. Science is throwing everything at the wall - light, bacteria, nerves, drugs, and altered states - to see what sticks. And if a little nasal illumination helps, who are we to smirk? Well, we're journalists. Smirking is part of the job. But we're also rooting for the brains.