ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cyanine

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a rainbow? It has many colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, right? Well, there is a color called cyan which is a mix of blue and green.

Cyanine is a special type of dye that can show this color really well. It's like a magic color that can help us see things better. Scientists use cyanine to see very small things, like cells or molecules.

Imagine you have a tiny Lego piece, so tiny you can't see it with your eyes. But with cyanine, scientists can make it glow like a bright blue-green color. That way, they can see it and learn more about it.

Cyanine is really useful for doctors and scientists because they can use it to see things inside our bodies that they couldn't see before. This helps them figure out how to make us healthy and happy!