Freaky Fruits And Other Food MRIs

Get ready. Everything about this is delightful.

Watermelon

If you find yourself on Inside Insides, Andy Ellison's blog, you will not only be dazzled by animated MRIs of food — but also left dying to know: What is this all about?! There's no explanation, no background info, no e-mail address. Just dancing, ghostly produce on black.

Patty-Pan Squash

The image titles alone are sure to tickle: "The long-awaited pomegranate," "Snap peas, several" and Patty-pan squash." Same goes for the sparse text:

I will note that pitted fruits and vegetables (peach, mango, avocado) tend to be pretty boring ... which is sad, but alas, true.

P.S. Eggplant is on its way.

Eggplant

Fortunately, Ellison responded via e-mail to a comment I had left. The mysterious fellow behind this blog is actually a Boston-based research technologist. Still, what kind of irresponsible hospital is letting its employees use expensive equipment to scan food? Ellison's response is legit:

I'm not taking time on the scanner that could be used for a clinical scan or anything like that, which is what some people think. No, instead I use the fruits and vegetables to warm up the scanner and do a kind of quality assurance of the machine. ... Some have been easier to image than others but mostly they end up looking beautiful.

Oh and attached, pumpkin, for your viewing pleasure.

Pumpkin

I sent Ellison this list of weird foods, hoping one might end up on his blog. "Those freaky fruits are fantastic, if only I could find some of them," he lamented. So if you have jabuticaba or other freaky fruits lying around, send them Ellison's way.

Snap Peas, Several

The Long-Awaited Pomegranate