1 week Ago By Cara Michelle Miller
Researchers at Stanford University have achieved a feat straight out of science fiction: they’ve developed a method to make living skin temporarily transparent using a common food dye. In an experiment reminiscent of H.G.
Wells’s “The Invisible Man,” scientists used a common food dye to make the scalp and abdomens of live mice transparent. This innovative technique allowed them to see internal organs without the need for invasive surgery. The researchers combined the food dye, also known as FD&C Yellow 5, with skin, both of which “block most light from getting through them,” Ou said.
“When we put them together, we were able to achieve transparency.” The scientists used light-bending science to achieve skin transparency. Consider a pencil in a glass of water.
The pencil appears bent at the water’s surface because light bends differently in air and water, due to their differing light-bending properties. According to Rowlands and Gorecki, this method offers clearer views of tissues, which could improve diagnostic accuracy. Transparent tissues may reduce the need for invasive procedures like biopsies and blood draws, as well as lessen reliance on radiation-heavy scans, ultimately minimizing discomfort and risk.
“In human medicine, we currently have ultrasound to look deeper inside the living body,” Ou added. “Many medical diagnosis platforms are very expensive and inaccessible to a broad audience, but platforms based on our tech should not be.” “If we could just look at what’s going on under the skin instead of cutting into it, or using radiation to get a less than clear look, we could change the way we see the human body,” Hong said.
Nevertheless, researchers are optimistic about the potential of this technology to transform medical imaging and diagnostics, offering a safer and more accessible alternative to traditional methods like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans..
