Fully transparent mouse created

Researchers working at the California Institute of Technology have found a way to create transparent mice, a technique which could help others to perform experiments like mapping out details of the nervous system, or the spread of cancer in lab animals.

The mice are euthanized before the procedure, which involves pumping a series of chemicals through blood vessels, as well as other passages in the brain and spinal cord.

Some chemicals form a mesh to hold tissue in place. Others wash out the fats that make tissue block light. It takes about a week to create a transparent mouse, Gradinaru said.

The researchers have also made transparent rats, which take about two weeks