How see-through brains could transform neuroscience (Big Ideas in Neuroscience) | Guosong Hong

From Our Neurons to Yours · Apr 2, 2026 · 36m

What if we could make the brain see-through?

It sounds like science fiction, but it could revolutionize how we study the brain.

Today on the show, we're talking with Guosong Hong, a faculty scholar here at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute who has a unique reputation for developing creative techniques that literally shed light on the brain—from using fluorescent nanomaterials and focused ultrasound to create a virtual flashlight inside the skull, to discovering a common food dye that temporarily makes skin, muscle, and even parts of the brain transparent.

Now, Guosong and colleagues are…