Squid ink to detect gum disease

Available for over a year

A visit to the dentist and some Japanese food were the inspiration behind Jesse Jokerst’s idea to try to improve our dental health. He’s a professor of Nano-engineering at the University of California, San Diego, and wondered if there was a better way of measuring the “pocket” which can form around a tooth when the gum is inflamed than using a small metal probe. In his lab, he’s been testing the light-absorbing properties of squid ink, using ultrasound. So where did he get the idea? (Photo credit: Getty images)