14 DAY TRIAL // A new study published in the June 23 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience details how, with the help of a sugary solution, a team of Japanese researchers managed to turn several tissue samples transparent.
Some of the samples these scientists experimented on were tissues that used to be part and parcel of a mouse's brain.
Once the samples became see-through, the researchers placed them under a powerful microscope and studied their make-up in unprecedented detail. EurekAlert reports that the solution developed by the Japanese specialists is one based on sugar and water.
Despite the fact that it turns tissues transparent, it does nothing to alter their shape and their chemical nature.
Because of this, the scientists are confident that it will make it possible for them to research various biological structures easier than before.
“Because SeeDB is inexpensive, quick, easy and safe to use, and requires no special equipment, it will prove useful for a broad range of studies, including the study of neuronal circuits in human samples,” the researchers commented on their achievement.