Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

Yacold also partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for gut health, an investigator-led research program.

To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

.jp. That's Y-A-K-U-L-T.C-O.J-P. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.

This is Scientific Americans' 60 Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkins. This will just take a minute.

Think about the tools used by biologists. Perhaps test tubes and microscopes come to mind.

But what about diapers? No, it's not that investigators are too engrossed in their work to take bathroom breaks.

Turns out the absorbent material in disposable diapers can be used to physically

expand biological specimens and make them easier to see with a microscope. Researchers at MIT

wanted to take a closer look at the connections that form between neurons and an intact brain,

close enough so that they could see the actual molecules those nerve cells used to interact. That level of detail is beyond the resolution of conventional light microscopes,

but what if the structures of interest could somehow be made bigger?

That's where the diapers come in.

Researchers found that they could infuse their tissue samples with acrylate,

the superabsorbent stuff in throwaway diapers.

The chemical forms a molecular mesh to which the tissue can anchor.

Then, when the researchers add water, the acrylate swells,

and so does the sample, which makes minute structures more visible.

The technique is described in the journal science.

The researchers have used the acrylate swelling,

or huggy's enhancement, or even pamper's

...