Turns out that Doritos are good for more than fending off a snack attack or starting a campfire in a pinch.
Science has discovered something completely bizarre—and perhaps useful in the medical industry: the ingredient responsible for the chips’ iconic orange hue, tartrazine (Yellow 5), can also make a mouse’s skin transparent.
Scientists at Stanford University have been rubbing a solution of tartrazine into the skin of live mice, which turns their skin transparent, revealing organs and tissues beneath. It’s almost like a real life Halloween horror show, but with scientific applications.
The actual process allows researchers to see through skin in a non-invasive way for the good of biological research. Traditional optical imaging techniques can only peer a few millimeters into tissue, but this method dramatically improves visibility for observing deep tissue structures in unprecedented detail.
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Researchers believe the potential medical applications could include: making routine blood draws easier by making veins more visible, the possibility of detecting skin cancer sooner, or assisting with laser-based tattoo removal.
The study indicated that the technique seemed safe for mice, though their skin is not as thick as humans and further research is definitely needed before the medical field starts slathering us with tartrazine.
If knowing this gives you a window into knowing what some chemicals in snack foods can do, perhaps you’ll stick to using those crunchy triangles exclusively for starting your campfires. No one will judge, but if people can see your insides, people will stare.
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