‘Predator particles’ give mice infrared vision

A picture showing how a thermo camera sees us

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Upconversion nanoparticles that bind to rods and cones shift invisible light to look green

Around 50 mice have been given the science fiction superpower of seeing infrared light that is normally invisible, thanks to nanoparticles researchers in the US and China implanted into their eyes. ‘The surprise is that they can even sense very dim infrared light well,’ says Gang Han from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The scientists gave the mice the ability seen in movies like Predator using nanoparticles that convert infrared to green light, which they can see normally.