New Study is Like a Page Out of H.G. Wells ‘The Invisible Man’

This week is awash in very odd news, but among them, one story is particularly bizarre. A common ingredient in our food, such as Doritos, can make the skin and underlying muscles temporarily transparent. It just goes to show that there’s no telling how man-made chemicals can affect our bodies and the natural world.

This week, another report suggests a common pesticide can chemically castrate and feminize amphibians. Thus, this chemical could be affecting other vertebrates! Other recent reports link pesticides to multiple types of cancer. And it took a student researcher to confirm a link between human waste pollutants and resulting tumors in green sea turtles in Hawaii and elsewhere.

But in this case, the chemical in question is something most of us regularly consume.

A Common Food Dye Turns Skin Transparent?

At first glance, the headline seems made up: “Researchers Turn Skin Invisible Using Food Dye,” reported Gizmodo.

Imagine the implications, and one wonders how millions of folks eating this food dye each day haven’t noticed anything strange. Yet this is a real study in Science, “Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules.”

The dye of highly absorbing molecules reduces the normal scattering of light in tissues, particularly the blue and ultraviolet light spectrums. When viewed in a predominantly red wavelength, it creates a temporary state of near invisibility, revealing underlying body organs in lab mice. (Bones do not become transparent.)

“In essence, by causing sharp absorption in the blue region, the refractive index in the red part of the spectrum is increased without increasing absorption,” the Abstract states.

The more dye they applied, the more transparent the tissue temporarily appeared. Incredibly, they could see to considerable depth into the body. However, once washed away, the skin resumed its usual appearance.

“The addition of tartrazine was able to make the skin of a live rodent temporarily transparent,” the study states.

H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man

Generally, dyes work to make things less transparent, so this was a big surprise! In an accompanying Perspective article, scientists compared it to something out of H.G. Wells’ novel, The Invisible Man, dating to 1897. As you can see, one of the iconic covers even features a fluorescent yellow/green color.

“It is often said that life imitates art, but rarely does it do so with such a pronounced combination of precision and delay,” they wrote. ” In H. G. Wells’s 1897 novel The Invisible Man, the protagonist invents a serum that renders the cells in his body transparent by precisely controlling their refractive index to match that of the surrounding medium, air.”

Over 127 years later, the new study confirms the genius of Wells’ science fiction idea, and in a seemingly safe, temporary manner.

Video by Discover the Truth about H.G. Wells and the new study about Food Dye:

Is This Food Dye Safe for Humans?

Before you rush out to rub Doritos on your skin, keep in mind that scientists need to study whether its safe for humans.

The yellow food dye, Yellow 5, or tartrazine, is commonly found in:

• Doritos
• Sunny D drinks
• Cereals
• Candy coatings
• Flavored carbonated drinks
• Ice creams and sherbets
• Textiles
• Hand soaps, creams, lotions
• Shampoos and cosmetics
• Shaving products
• Pet care products
• Pills and medications
• Pies and cake mixes
• Commercial Gingerbread
• Butterscotch chips
• Commercial frostings
• Instant and regular puddings

For a long time, scientists have suspected Yellow 5 (which has over 100 names) might be linked to serious health problems. According to Verywell Health, allergies, hyperactivity in kids, and cancer are among the suspected issues. Asthma, hives, dermatitis, and food allergies are other suspected health concerns.

Unfortunately, studies show tartrazine is a neurotoxin that can harm brain cells in rats. Yet the benefits for medical uses are considerable. Imagine if a nurse phlebotomist could apply the dye to find a vein before trying to draw blood. Or a doctor could apply the dye to the skin to more easily detect signs of cancer or other irregularities like cysts.

Such widespread use could become the norm in the future if found safe. And who knew this potential was right there all the time? Well, H.G. Wells seemed to predict as much!