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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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This New Ultrasound Technology Can Scan Your Entire Body in Seconds And It’s 100% Safe

Ultrasound technology has long been a cornerstone of modern healthcare. From monitoring fetal development during pregnancy to examining internal organs and measuring blood flow, it provides doctors with a safe and non-invasive way to look inside the human body. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, ultrasound does not use harmful radiation, making it one of the safest imaging techniques available. However, despite its advantages, traditional ultrasound has limitations—such as a restricted field of view and dependence on the operator’s skill.

Now, researchers at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a groundbreaking system that could overcome these challenges. Led by Lihong Wang, the team has introduced a new method called whole cross-sectional ultrasound tomography (UST), which allows doctors to capture complete cross-sectional images of the human body in a way never before possible with ultrasound.

Understanding the Limits of Traditional Ultrasound

Traditional ultrasound works by sending high-frequency sound waves into the body using a handheld device called a transducer. These waves bounce off tissues and organs, creating echoes that are converted into images. While effective, this method only captures small sections at a time and requires the operator to manually move the device across the body.

This approach introduces two major issues. First, the limited field of view means that doctors cannot easily see the full structure of an organ or body region in one image. Second, the quality of the results can vary depending on the skill and experience of the technician. Even small variations in probe angle or pressure can affect the final image.

The Breakthrough: Whole Cross-Sectional Ultrasound

The new UST system changes this approach entirely. Instead of scanning small areas manually, it captures an entire cross-section of the body at once—similar to how MRI or CT scans work. This makes the process more consistent and less dependent on human operation.

To achieve this, researchers designed a unique setup inspired by early ultrasound experiments from the 1950s. In the current system, the patient sits in a water-filled tank with their head above water. Surrounding the tank is a ring-shaped structure equipped with 512 ultrasound transducers. These sensors move up and down, scanning different sections of the body and creating detailed cross-sectional images.

Water plays a crucial role in this system. Sound waves travel more efficiently through water than air, ensuring clearer and more accurate imaging. This eliminates the need for constant manual adjustments and improves the overall quality of the results.

More Than Just Images: Measuring Tissue Properties

One of the most powerful features of this new system is its ability to measure multiple physical properties of tissues—not just create images. In addition to capturing echoes, the system analyzes how sound waves travel through the body.

It measures three key parameters:

  • Speed of sound through different tissues

  • Attenuation, or how much the sound signal weakens

  • Echogenicity, or how strongly tissues reflect sound

These measurements provide valuable insights into the nature of the tissue being examined. For example, cancerous tumors are often stiffer than healthy tissue, which changes how sound waves pass through them. By analyzing these differences, doctors may be able to detect diseases earlier and more accurately.

Testing and Early Results

The research team tested the system on five healthy volunteers, focusing on imaging the abdomen. Each scan took only about 10 seconds, yet the system was able to produce deep, high-quality images comparable to those from MRI scans.

This is a significant achievement. MRI machines are expensive, bulky, and not always accessible, especially in low-resource settings. In contrast, ultrasound is relatively low-cost and widely available. By combining affordability with advanced imaging capabilities, UST has the potential to make high-quality diagnostics more accessible worldwide.

Future Applications in Medicine

The potential applications of this technology are vast. In the future, researchers aim to redesign the system into a more practical format, replacing the water tank with a horizontal bed that uses a thin water pouch. This would make the system easier to use in hospitals and clinics.

One particularly exciting possibility is real-time imaging during surgery. Surgeons could use live ultrasound data to guide their actions with greater precision, reducing risks and improving outcomes. The technology could also support robotic surgery, providing machines with accurate internal images in real time.

In addition, UST could be used for:

  • Image-guided biopsies, improving accuracy when collecting tissue samples

  • Cancer detection, especially in organs like the liver and pancreas

  • Monitoring rare cancers such as liposarcoma

  • Musculoskeletal imaging, including detecting tears and degeneration

Researchers are already planning clinical trials in collaboration with City of Hope Medical Center to study how effectively the system can detect and monitor liposarcoma, a rare type of cancer that is difficult to image using current methods.

A Safer and Smarter Future for Diagnostics

One of the biggest advantages of this new system is its safety. Unlike imaging techniques that rely on ionizing radiation, such as CT scans, ultrasound poses no known risks to patients. This means scans can be repeated frequently without concern, allowing doctors to track disease progression over time.

This ability to perform regular, detailed imaging opens the door to better long-term monitoring. Instead of relying on occasional snapshots, physicians can observe subtle changes in the body, leading to earlier diagnoses and more personalized treatments.

Conclusion

The development of whole cross-sectional ultrasound tomography marks a major step forward in medical imaging. By combining safety, affordability, and advanced capabilities, this technology has the potential to revolutionize how doctors diagnose and monitor diseases.

While still in the early stages, the results are promising. With continued research and development, this innovation could one day become a standard tool in hospitals around the world—bringing high-quality healthcare within reach for more people than ever before.

Reference: Garrett, D.C., Xu, J., Oh, D. et al. Whole cross-sectional human ultrasound tomography. Nat. Biomed. Eng (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-026-01660-4

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