Flesh has been made invisible. By injecting glycerol into the skin of rats
and hamsters, Ashley Welch of the University of Texas and his colleagues made
small areas of flesh nearly transparent. Glycerol鈥檚 refractive index closely
matches that of collagen, so light isn鈥檛 scattered nearly so much. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing
how well it works,鈥 Welch says. The method only allows you to see 4 or 5
millimetres into the body. But this could be enough to make laser treatments
easier.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Mind
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD
News
Environment
Fishers detonate a bomb every hour on one Indonesian coral reef
News
Environment
How bad is the UK drought and how long will it continue?
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles