A recent study conducted by scientists at Stanford University has revealed that a food dye commonly used in Doritos could temporarily make skin transparent.
Published in the journal Science, the research explored the potential of this dye to offer non-invasive insights into tissues and organs in living organisms.
Lead researcher Zihao Ou, now a professor at the University of Texas in Dallas, explained that while the results might seem extraordinary, they are grounded in physics. "To those who understand the fundamental principles, this makes sense. For others, it may seem like a magic trick," Ou said.
According to USA Today, researchers applied a mixture of water and tartrazine - an orange-yellow dye commonly found in Doritos and other foods - to the skin of live mice. This application made the skin transparent, revealing the animals' underlying tissues and organs. Tartrazine, also used in drugs and cosmetics, absorbs blue and ultraviolet light, allowing more light to pass through the skin.
In one experiment, The Guardian reported that researchers spread the dye on a mouse’s abdomen, making its skin see-through and exposing its internal organs. In another test, the dye was applied to a shaved section of a mouse’s head, and using laser speckle contrast imaging, blood vessels in the brain became visible.
Although the study has only been tested on animals so far, Fox News Digital noted that researchers believe the method could offer short-term transparency in human skin, aiding in medical diagnostics and biological experiments. The team suggests this technique could become the first non-invasive way to observe internal organs in living beings.