Medical imaging is a set of diagnostic techniques that noninvasively visualize internal anatomical structures and physiological processes using diverse physical modalities. Core methods include ionizing-radiation–based techniques (e.g., radiography, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, PET/SPECT), non-ionizing modalities (e.g., MRI, ultrasound, optical imaging), and hybrid systems (e.g., PET/CT, PET/MRI). These techniques exploit contrasts in tissue density, proton properties, acoustic impedance, or radiotracer distribution to generate qualitative and quantitative data. Medical imaging underpins clinical decision-making, image-guided interventions, treatment planning, and longitudinal monitoring, and increasingly incorporates advanced reconstruction algorithms, quantitative biomarkers, and AI-driven image analysis.
When Darwin Quiroz first started working with optics as an undergraduate, he was developing atomic magnetometers. That experience sparked a growing curiosity about how light interacts with matter, an interest that has now ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 15, 2025
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Quantum computing is still in its early stages of development, but researchers have extensively explored its potential uses. A recent study conducted at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil proposed a hybrid quantum-classical ...
Quantum Physics
Oct 1, 2025
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97
A novel class of light-sensitive nanoparticles may one day enable new approaches to medical imaging. They were developed by a research team at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The particles absorb laser light ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 22, 2025
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Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a method to more precisely heat up gold nanoparticles to target and destroy cancerous tumors. Using imaging methods that combine light and sound to peer deeper into tissue, ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 18, 2025
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If you've been to a routine eye exam at the optometrist's office, chances are you've had to place your chin and forehead up close to a bioimaging device.
Optics & Photonics
Aug 13, 2025
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Medical imaging methods such as ultrasound and MRI are often affected by background noise, which can introduce blurring and obscure fine anatomical details in the images. For clinicians who depend on medical images, background ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 12, 2025
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100
In a new study, researchers show, for the first time, that photoacoustic microscopy can image stents through skin, potentially offering a safer, easier way to monitor these life-saving devices. Each year, around 2 million ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 26, 2025
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Until today, skin, brain, and all tissues of the human body were difficult to observe in detail with an optical microscope, since the contrast in the image was hindered by the high density of their structures. The research ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 24, 2025
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158
A team of researchers has recently developed a nondestructive imaging and machine learning system that accurately predicts the efficiency of stem cell differentiation into muscle stem cells. The team was led by Associate ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 24, 2025
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29
Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in response to neural activity. Specifically, when neurons become active, nearby blood vessels dilate to increase blood supply, thereby meeting ...
Biotechnology
Jul 23, 2025
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