Biological imaging may refer to any

imaging Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image). Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images. ...

technique used in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

. Typical examples include: * Bioluminescence imaging, a technique for studying laboratory animals using luminescent protein * Calcium imaging, determining the calcium status of a tissue using fluorescent light * Diffuse optical imaging, using near-infrared light to generate images of the body * Diffusion-weighted imaging, a type of MRI that uses water diffusion * Fluorescence lifetime imaging, using the decay rate of a fluorescent sample * Gallium imaging, a nuclear medicine method for the detection of infections and cancers * Imaging agent, a chemical designed to allow clinicians to determine whether a mass is benign or malignant * Imaging studies, which includes many medical imaging techniques *

Magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and ...

(MRI), a non-invasive method to render images of living tissues * Magneto-acousto-electrical tomography (MAET), is an imaging modality to image the electrical conductivity of biological tissues *

Medical imaging Medical imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to revea ...

, creating images of the human body or parts of it, to diagnose or examine disease *

Microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view subjects too small to be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical mic ...

, creating images of objects or features too small to be detectable by the naked human eye * Molecular imaging, used to study molecular pathways inside organisms * Non-contact thermography, is the field of

thermography Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared im ...

that derives diagnostic indications from infrared images of the human body. *

Nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactivity, radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, ''radiology done inside out'', ...

, uses administered radioactive substances to create images of internal organs and their function. * Optical imaging, using light as an investigational tool for biological research and medical diagnosis * Optoacoustic imaging, using the photothermal effect, for the accuracy of spectroscopy with the depth resolution of ultrasound * Photoacoustic Imaging, a technique to detect vascular disease and cancer using non-ionizing laser pulses *

Ultrasound imaging Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of internal body structures such as tendons, muscles, join ...

, using very high frequency sound to visualize muscles and internal organs

References

Biological techniques and tools Imaging {{biology-stub