A 3D image of a wrist with a watch showing part of the finger bones in white and soft tissue in red. (Image: MARS Bioimaging Ltd) Like Dorothy coming to Oz, doctors might finally be experiencing their world in color. A new scanner, using technology developed by CERN for detecting subatomic particles, can produce color X-ray scans of the inside of the body, allowing doctors to see soft tissues in unprecedented detail. The technology is set for clinical trials in New Zealand soon.
Normal X-rays illuminate our insides in shades of grey — hard tissues like bone are white and soft tissues are black. That's because normal detectors only read whether the x-rays are coming through or not. Bone blocks X-rays, so they show up as white; soft tissues don't, so they're black. The new detector was made by New Zealand-based company Medipix. Their tech is based on detectors used ...
