Transparent Animals



The information that I have on this picture is a little sketchy because the original site is in Japanese. But rumor has it that Japanese scientists photographed the skeletons of small animals through their flesh and then dyed the results with vibrant colors. The result is a set of quite lovely pictures. More at the link.

Link via Nerdcore | Image: Albatro.jp

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I was reading the original article, and "Rabbits" is correct. The Japanese call it transparent preservation. The bones are dyed magenta, and the cartilage is dyed with the blue.

The article discusses its recent recognition as art collectibles, or as pieces for interior decoration.
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Looks like a standard "clear and stain". You first make most of the tissues clear (by soaking them in KOH or similar), and then use a stain specific for the tissue you are interested in -- bone and cartilage in this case. ..I could be wrong though.
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It's a cleared and stained specimen - these things are common preparations in museum collections. The critter is fixed in formalin solution, and then the soft tissue is digested by enzymes until it is transparent and jelly-like. Cartilage and bone are typically stained red and blue, respectively.

Here's a protocol.
http://www.gobiidae.com/methods/method_clear_and_stain.htm
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