Scientists discovered that a solution containing tartrazine, also known as yellow No. 5 food dye, can be used to see through skin. (Matthew Christiansen/U.S. National Science Foundation)
Scientists have discovered a surprisingly simple way to potentially peer inside the body, using a common yellow food dye found in Doritos to create see-through mice.
In a series of experiments that could have been plucked from the pages of science fiction, researchers at Stanford University massaged a solution containing tartrazine, the chemical found in the food dye known as “yellow No. 5,” onto the stomachs, scalps and hind legs of mice. About five minutes later, the opaque skin of the mice transformed temporarily into a living window, revealing branching blood vessels, muscle fibers and contractions of the gut, they reported Thursday in the journal Science.
These results may sound like magic, but they are grounded in the basic science of optics — and are a major step forward in the long quest to see what’s beneath the surface of bodies without using a scalpel.
“You could see through the mouse. I’ve been working in optics for 30 years, and I thought that result was jaw-dropping,” said Adam Wax, a program officer who specializes in biophotonics at the National Science Foundation, one of the funders of the research.
The technique may help scientists answer long-standing questions in biology — for example, allowing researchers to observe a mouse’s brain activity, including in the deepest parts of the brain. It could be used to diagnose deep-seated tumors without surgery, help locate a vein for a blood draw or make cosmetic procedures like tattoo removal more precise, said Guosong Hong, a materials scientist at Stanford and one of the study’s leaders.
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