美国科学60秒 SSS 2015-01-22

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Think about the tools used by biologists, perhaps test tubes and microscopes come to mind. But what about diapers? No, it's not the investigators¹ in their work to take bathroom breaks. Turns out that the absorbing material and disposable diapers can be used to expend² the biological specimens³ and make them easier to see with a microscope. Researchers from MIT wanted to take a closer look at the connections formed between neurons and intact brains. Close enough so that they can see the actual molecules⁴ those nerve cells use to interact. That level of details is beyond the resolution of conventional light microscopes. But what if the structure of interests can somehow be made bigger? That's where the diapers come in. Researchers found they can infuse their tissue samples with acrylate, the super absorbing stuff in threw-away diapers. The chemical forms a molecular⁵ mesh⁶ to which the tissue can anchor. Then, when the reserchers add water, the acrylate swells⁷, and so does the sample, which makes the ? structures more visible. The technique is decribed in the journal Science. The researchers have used the acrylate swelling⁸ or huggie enhancement or even pamper⁹ amplification¹⁰ if you will to peer into the brains of mice, fruitflies and zebra fish. Now whether this nifty ? maneuver¹¹ will expand our understanding of life small as cellular¹² mysteries? Well, it depends.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60s Science. I'm Karen Hopkins.

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