Scientists discover how to turn live mice transparent to see their organs

A new study has detailed how mice skin can be turned transparent to see inside their bodies while they are still alive.

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The new procedure doesn't harm the animals and involves the use of food dye that is applied to the skin of the mice. According to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, the researchers are able to get a full view into the insides of a mouse, with a full view of their blood vessels, organs, and everything else. With technology such as this, the researchers hope to eventually use it on humans to be able to better diagnose any medical afflictions and ultimately learn more about the human body.

So, how does it work? The team explained the dye absorbs blue and ultraviolet light, making it much easier for light to pass through the skin of the mouse, leading to transparency. The Standford researchers explained the dye is "biocompatible" and that once it's washed off the mice, the rodent loses its transparency and excretes any leftovers through its urine.

"For those who understand the fundamental physics behind this, it makes sense; but if you aren't familiar with it, it looks like a magic trick," said Zihao Ou, the lead author of the study who is now an assistant professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas

"It's important that the dye is biocompatible - it's safe for living organisms," Ou said. "In addition, it's very inexpensive and efficient; we don't need very much of it to work."

"Optical equipment, like the microscope, is not directly used to study live humans or animals because light can't go through living tissue," Ou said. "But now that we can make tissue transparent, it will allow us to look at more detailed dynamics. It will completely revolutionize existing optical research in biology."