Researchers have developed a technique to make live mouse skin transparent using a yellow dye called tartrazine, commonly found in snacks and candies.
This method reveals the underlying blood vessels and organs, potentially revolutionizing medical diagnostics and biological research by making human tissues transparent for deeper, cheaper, and more accessible insights.
In a pioneering new study, researchers made the skin on the skulls and abdomens of live mice transparent by applying to the areas a mixture of water and a common yellow food coloring called tartrazine.
Dr. Zihao Ou, assistant professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, is lead author of the study, published in the September 6 print issue of the journal Science.
Living skin is a scattering medium. Like fog, it scatters light, which is why it cannot be seen through.
