Twinkling nanostars cast new light into biomedical imaging.

Purdue University researchers have created magnetically responsive gold nanostars that may offer a new approach to biomedical imaging.
                            
                Research team members stand with equipment used for gyromagnetic imaging of gold nanostars.
       
          The nanostars gyrate when exposed to a rotating magnetic field and can scatter light to produce a pulsating or "twinkling" effect. This twinkling allows them to stand out more clearly from noisy backgrounds like those found in biological tissue. Alexander Wei, a professor of chemistry, and Kenneth Ritchie, an associate professor of physics, led the team that created the new gyromagnetic imaging method.