Transparent bodies of animals are seldom seen in the wild. There are glassfrogs and ghost shrimps in the list. However, there's a way to make a non-transparent body become "see-through" using a common dye-in the body of a mouse.
There's no sorcery or trick involved here. The thing is, it's all about science and research which makes this possible. A non-invasive method allows the researchers to see the "visualized" tissues of the rodent under a microscope.
How a Simple Food Dye Makes Skin Transparent
The key to this breakthrough lies in a food-safe dye that is likely found in common snacks. Thanks to physics principles, scientists are able to render mice see-through.
Tissues are composed of liquids, fats, and other materials wherein they can bend or refract lines. Known as the refractive index, this is where the role of the light enters when it comes to passing through an object.
If an object is opaque, it won't allow light to pass through. However, by applying a concentrated food dye dissolved in water, scientists were able to balance the refractive indices within the tissue. This balance temporarily turned the skin translucent.
Related Article: Scientists Use Nanoparticles to Control Mouse Behavior in Groundbreaking Study
The Power of Tartrazine: The Food Dye Behind the Discovery
According to LiveScience, tartrazine can make the mouse's body transparent. They first experimented with the dye on a few chicken slices and concluded that it could make the meat transparent.
This common dye is usually an FDA-approved additive that can be found in beverages, desserts, and even cosmetic products. Since they were fascinated with the results, they decided to test on live mice.
They applied the tartrazine solution to the mice's scalps and were able to observe blood vessels across the surface of the skull at a resolution as small as 0.001 millimeters. In another experiment, they used the dye on the rodents' abdomens, which made internal organs such as the liver, small intestine, and bladder visible. The researchers even observed muscle contractions in the gut and the subtle movements caused by breathing and heartbeats.
Reversible and Safe Transparency Technique
The transparency induced by the dye was easily reversible. By simply rinsing the mice's skin with water, the researchers were able to remove the food dye solution. The excess tartrazine absorbed into the mice's bodies was excreted through their urine within 48 hours. The treatment caused minimal short-term inflammation and had no long-term health effects, as shown by stable body weight and normal blood test results
Can Human Skin Be Transparent As Well?
As of writing, tartrazine has not yet been tested in humans, but the group is optimistic about achieving the same results when the experiment happens in the future.
However, the challenge of transforming the opaque skin into transparent is its thickness. It's four times thicker than that of a mouse, thus posing a challenge when it comes to penetration. If the dye is proven to be effective, this could be game-breaking research for the years to come.
According to Guosong Hong, the assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University, this discovery can help the medical industry.
For instance, this could help the doctors to trace the veins for blood drawing. Another example is that it can also aid in tattoo removal through the laser method.
"It takes a few minutes for the transparency to appear. "It's similar to the way a facial cream or mask works: The time needed depends on how fast the molecules diffuse into the skin," study lead author Zihao Ou, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, said.
To know more about the study, visit Science for more details.
