MRIs are loud. They’re huge. They’re magnetic. But what are they actually doing? This week, we bring Claire back to help us connect the dots between NMR (yes, organic chem flashbacks) and MRI. How does a technique built on tiny hydrogen protons turn into a 3D image of your brain? How can it tell the difference between tissue and fluid? Why can’t you bring metal anywhere near the machine?

We ask:
• What are your protons doing inside an MRI?
• How does “magnetic resonance” become an image?
• Why does oxygenated blood matter?
• And how did anyone figure this out in the first place?

If you’ve ever had an MRI, or just wondered how we can see inside the body without radiation or surgery, this episode pulls back the curtain.

Listen in and rethink what’s happening inside that giant magnet.

00:00 MRI Episode Kickoff
01:11 Meet Claire Again
02:27 PhD Candidate Explained
03:44 NMR Basics Begin
04:33 Protons And Magnets
06:46 RF Pulse And Signal
11:16 Hydrogen Everywhere
13:35 Reading NMR Peaks
16:02 Matrix And Practice
18:31 Jam Summarizes NMR
20:44 Why MRI Not NMR
22:45 Spin And Isotopes
29:02 MRI Uses Body Water
30:37 Tissue Contrast And T1
33:38 Resolution Limits
34:25 MRI Resolution Limits
35:34 From NMR to Images
36:50 K Space and Gradients
41:30 Voxels and 3D Views
44:05 Contrast and Clinical Uses
49:47 Research Possibilities
51:11 Functional MRI Explained
56:14 MRI Safety and Magnet Strength
58:00 Helium and Heavy Machines
01:02:43 Science Boundaries and Wrap Up

Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Amanda Raymond
Emily Morrison
Kyle McCray
Justine
Emily Hardy
Ash
Vince W
Julie S.
Heather Ragusa
Autoclave
Dorien VD
Scott Beyer
Jessie Reder
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Venus Rebholz
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon

Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do MRIs see inside our bodies, in 3D? (with Claire Caballero)

Chemistry For Your Life

How do MRIs see inside our bodies, in 3D? (with Claire Caballero)