A High-Res 3D Video of the Embryonic Heartbeat

Posted by timothy on Sunday October 25, 2009 @11:00AM from the cool-imaging-tech dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the University of Houston, TX, adapted an imaging technique called optical coherence tomography to capture 3D video of the mammalian heart as it forms. They used the method to image a mouse embryo just 8.5 days past conception and about a day after it starts to form. In the remarkable video a normal heartbeat is visible. Normally optical coherence tomography is used for clinical imaging of the retina. Having such a high-resolution, non-invasive way to image the developing heart could perhaps help doctors treat congenital heart disorders in human babies."

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Re:Cool tech. by amilo100 · 2009-10-25 13:12 · Score: 5, Insightful

A fetus is nothing special. Because a human is nothing special. It is very arrogant to think that we're oh-so-special. We're not. Life in itself is nothing special.

I see human life as special. This may be because I am human and therefore extremely subjective.

I am sure that when an alien race lands on earth they will be a lot more objective than us.