Some Japanese
Scientists have attempted to create mice that are
so transparent that they're nearly invisible.
The Scientists from the RIKEN Quantitative Biology
Center at Osaka University, Japan say their biggest
challenge in the project was the light-blocking
"heme" in hemoglobin, which puts the red into red
blood cells and is found in almost every tissues in
the body.Huff' Post reports:
As it turns out, a substance used to make
brains transparent for imaging also works to
clear out heme.
At first, the researchers were able to make
translucent mice organs. Here's an image
showing the kidney, liver and pancreas on
the path toward near-invisibility.
Next, the researchers experimented on
whole mice with the technique to clear
heme from the body after using saline to
remove blood from the circulatory system,
The Japan Times reports.
The process takes about two weeks.
The mice aren't just cool to look at.
Researchers say they can be used to gain a
better understanding of organs.
"It allowed us to see cellular networks inside
tissues, which is one of the fundamental
challenges in biology and medicine," Kazuki
Tainaka, first author of the paper, said in a
news release.
With these mice, researchers may be able to
study diseases that affect humans.
Posted By David Aniemeka