The noninvasive, life-saving technique known as magnetic resonance imaging works by aligning hydrogen atoms in a strong magnetic field and pulsing radiofrequency waves to convert the response of those atoms into an image.
The field of provenance for MRI, it could be argued, is chemistry – MRI works by exploiting the inherent magnetic properties of individual atoms. What if, instead of just creating images, an MRI machine could extract detailed information about the chemistry of the body — say, the pH levels in the vicinity of a tumor, or the temperature anomalies that occur around an injury?
