New research has revealed that a common yellow-coloured food dye can temporarily make skin, connective tissues, and muscle transparent. The research was conducted on a mouse, and got some unbelievable findings, allowing for an innovative visualisation of the internal structure of the mouse&nbsp;without any passive procedures.&nbsp;

<h2>All you should know about the research</h2>

By applying the dye to the belly of the mouse, the researchers saw its liver, intestines, and bladder clearly through the skin. When the dye was applied to the rodent’s scalp, it enabled the visualisation of blood vessels in the animal’s brain. The treated skin became normal to its natural colour after the dye was removed.&nbsp;

The team then applied the yellow food dye on the mouse's underbelly, which made the abdominal skin transparent and revealed the rodent's organs and intestines. &nbsp;The team also experimented on the mouse’s shaved hair through laser speckle contrast imaging, leading to the transparent and clear visualisation of blood vessels in the brain.

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<h2>What are the researchers saying?</h2>

The researchers at Stanford University believe&nbsp;that the technique would have many potential applications in humans, from finding veins for drawing blood to locating injuries and spotting tumours.

Dr Guosong Hong, a senior researcher, said, “Instead of relying on invasive biopsies, doctors might be able to diagnose deep-seated tumours by simply examining a person’s tissue without the need for invasive surgical removal.” He added, “This technique could make blood draws less painful by helping phlebotomists easily locate veins under the skin.”

This technique is very similar to Griffin’s technique in The Invisible Man(1897), in which the scientist said that the secret to invisibility lies in matching an object’s refractive index and the ability to bend light.&nbsp;

For example, when light passes through our tissues, it gets scattered because of the different refractive indices of fatty membranes and cell nuclei. However, as light moves from one refractive index to another, it tends to bend, making tissue non-transparent.&nbsp;

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Dr Guosong Hong said, “The most surprising part of this study is that we usually expect dye molecules to make things less transparent. For example, if you mix blue pen ink in water, the more ink you add, the less light can pass through the water,” He added, “In our experiment when we dissolve tartrazine in an opaque material like muscle or skin, which normally scatters light, the more tartrazine we add, the clearer the material becomes. But only in the red part of the light spectrum. This goes against what we typically expect with dyes.”

The researchers have tagged the procedure as “reversible and repeatable”, with skin becoming normal once the dye is washed. At the moment, transparency is subject to the depth the dye penetrates, but Hong suggested that injections or microneedle patches could let the dye penetrate more deeply.&nbsp;

The procedure is yet to be tested on humans. The researchers need to ensure that the dye is safe for humans, especially, through micro-needling or injections.&nbsp;

Many scientists stand to benefit from this breakthrough discovery, especially those who study naturally transparent animals like zebrafish. The technique of transparency dyes will offer a much wider range of animals to be studied in this way.&nbsp;

(with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

New research has revealed that a common yellow-coloured food dye can temporarily make skin, connective tissues, and muscle transparent. The research was conducted on a mouse, and got some unbelievable findings, allowing for an innovative visualisation of the internal structure of the mouse without any passive procedures.

New research has revealed that a common yellow-coloured food dye can temporarily make skin, connective tissues, and muscle transparent. The research was conducted on a mouse, and got some unbelievable findings, allowing for an innovative visualisation of the internal structure of the mouse without any passive procedures. All you should know about the research By applying the dye to the belly of the mouse, the researchers saw its liver, intestines, and bladder clearly through the skin. When the dye was applied to the rodent’s scalp, it enabled the visualisation of blood vessels in the animal’s brain. The treated skin became normal to its natural colour after the dye was removed. The team then applied the yellow food dye on the mouse's underbelly, which made the abdominal skin transparent and revealed the rodent's organs and intestines. The team also experimented on the mouse’s shaved hair through laser speckle contrast imaging, leading to the transparent and clear visualisation of blood vessels in the brain. Also Read|Cricket is banned in this small Italian town. Here's why| What are the researchers saying? The researchers at Stanford University believe that the technique would have many potential applications in humans, from finding veins for drawing blood to locating injuries and spotting tumours. Dr Guosong Hong, a senior researcher, said, “Instead of relying on invasive biopsies, doctors might be able to diagnose deep-seated tumours by simply examining a person’s tissue without the need for invasive surgical removal.” He added, “This technique could make blood draws less painful by helping phlebotomists easily locate veins under the skin.” This technique is very similar to Griffin’s technique in The Invisible Man(1897), in which the scientist said that the secret to invisibility lies in matching an object’s refractive index and the ability to bend light. For example, when light passes through our tissues, it gets scattered because of the different refractive indices of fatty membranes and cell nuclei. However, as light moves from one refractive index to another, it tends to bend, making tissue non-transparent. Also Read|Hunter Biden to change not-guilty plea in $1.4mn federal tax case| Dr Guosong Hong said, “The most surprising part of this study is that we usually expect dye molecules to make things less transparent. For example, if you mix blue pen ink in water, the more ink you add, the less light can pass through the water,” He added, “In our experiment when we dissolve tartrazine in an opaque material like muscle or skin, which normally scatters light, the more tartrazine we add, the clearer the material becomes. But only in the red part of the light spectrum. This goes against what we typically expect with dyes.” The researchers have tagged the procedure as “reversible and repeatable”, with skin becoming normal once the dye is washed. At the moment, transparency is subject to the depth the dye penetrates, but Hong suggested that injections or microneedle patches could let the dye penetrate more deeply. The procedure is yet to be tested on humans. The researchers need to ensure that the dye is safe for humans, especially, through micro-needling or injections. Many scientists stand to benefit from this breakthrough discovery, especially those who study naturally transparent animals like zebrafish. The technique of transparency dyes will offer a much wider range of animals to be studied in this way. (with inputs from agencies)

New Medical Research: A common food dye used to make skin and muscle temporarily transparent

The human skin contains mechanoreceptors that can sense something as delicate as the weight of a butterfly, or&nbsp;heat or cold from a nearby object. It can also detect the delicate rhythm of a loved one's heartbeat and whether the hand raised at us is raised in a fist of aggression or a peace sign. But for people with prosthetic limbs these sensations, good or bad, are something they miss. Now, researchers have found a way that can help restore these sensations for amputees through electronic skin.

Stanford University's Bao Research Group has developed a soft, flexible electronic skin that can mimic the process that causes a finger or a toe to react and move away when poked, or when they touch a hot surface.

"This current e-skin really has all the attributes that we have been dreaming about," says chemical engineer Zhenan Bao of Stanford University.&nbsp;

"We have been talking about it for a long time."

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This technology, as per Nature, could lead to the development of a covering for prosthetic limbs. The best part about this breakthrough soft "e-skin" is that it can directly transmit electrical signals to the wearer's brain to allow them to ‘feel’ pressure, strain or changes in temperature.

Unlike previous attempts, this new e-skin uses soft integrated circuits to convert sensory information, such as pressure and temperature, into electrical signals similar to nerve impulses.&nbsp;

The goal is to use this technology in prosthetic limbs to provide sensory feedback and improve control for amputees.&nbsp;

In an experiment, the newly developed electronic skin was tested on a rat. The e-skin was connected to the rat's somatosensory cortex, which is the region of the brain involved in processing physical sensations.&nbsp;

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When the electronic skin was stimulated by touch, it generated an electrical signal that was transmitted to the brain. From there, the signal passed through an artificial synapse to the rat's sciatic nerve located in its leg, resulting in a twitching motion of the limb.

Bao says that in the future, they hope to develop a less invasive system that won't have to be implanted into the brain.

"We envision that for people who lost their limbs, we don’t have to implant into the brain," she said as per Nature.&nbsp;

"We could have an implant in the peripheral nervous system."

The current version of the e-skin has to be wired to an external power source, but the researchers hope to ultimately develop a wireless device.&nbsp;"This new e-skin runs on just 5 volts and can detect stimuli similar to real skin," described Weichen Wang, a doctoral candidate in Bao's lab, the first author of the paper.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The human skin contains mechanoreceptors that can sense something as delicate as the weight of a butterfly, or heat or cold from a nearby object. It can also detect the delicate rhythm of a loved one's heartbeat and whether the hand raised at us is raised in a fist of aggression or a peace sign.

The human skin contains mechanoreceptors that can sense something as delicate as the weight of a butterfly, or heat or cold from a nearby object. It can also detect the delicate rhythm of a loved one's heartbeat and whether the hand raised at us is raised in a fist of aggression or a peace sign. But for people with prosthetic limbs these sensations, good or bad, are something they miss. Now, researchers have found a way that can help restore these sensations for amputees through electronic skin. Stanford University's Bao Research Group has developed a soft, flexible electronic skin that can mimic the process that causes a finger or a toe to react and move away when poked, or when they touch a hot surface. "This current e-skin really has all the attributes that we have been dreaming about," says chemical engineer Zhenan Bao of Stanford University. "We have been talking about it for a long time." Also read | What the 'hell'? Gen Z more likely to believe in damnation after death, finds study This technology, as per Nature, could lead to the development of a covering for prosthetic limbs. The best part about this breakthrough soft "e-skin" is that it can directly transmit electrical signals to the wearer's brain to allow them to ‘feel’ pressure, strain or changes in temperature. Unlike previous attempts, this new e-skin uses soft integrated circuits to convert sensory information, such as pressure and temperature, into electrical signals similar to nerve impulses. The goal is to use this technology in prosthetic limbs to provide sensory feedback and improve control for amputees. In an experiment, the newly developed electronic skin was tested on a rat. The e-skin was connected to the rat's somatosensory cortex, which is the region of the brain involved in processing physical sensations. Also read | WION Explains | New York, the city that never sleeps, may soon lie in slumber under the sea When the electronic skin was stimulated by touch, it generated an electrical signal that was transmitted to the brain. From there, the signal passed through an artificial synapse to the rat's sciatic nerve located in its leg, resulting in a twitching motion of the limb. Bao says that in the future, they hope to develop a less invasive system that won't have to be implanted into the brain. "We envision that for people who lost their limbs, we don’t have to implant into the brain," she said as per Nature. "We could have an implant in the peripheral nervous system." The current version of the e-skin has to be wired to an external power source, but the researchers hope to ultimately develop a wireless device. "This new e-skin runs on just 5 volts and can detect stimuli similar to real skin," described Weichen Wang, a doctoral candidate in Bao's lab, the first author of the paper. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Stanford researchers develop 'e-skin' that can help amputees experience touch

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New Medical Research: A common food dye used to make skin and muscle temporarily transparent

Stanford researchers develop 'e-skin' that can help amputees experience touch