Can We Build a Whole-Body Cellular-Resolution Imaging System — and Should We?

Can we build a diagnostic system capable of imaging and treating a whole human body at cellular resolution — and if so, should we? This talk examines that question from first principles: the physics of encoding information within living tissue, the engineering limits of signal and safety, and the practical meaning of “resolution” when scaled to 10¹⁴ cells. Beginning with magnetic resonance as the conceptual scaffold, I will outline how non-traditional encoding strategies (in particular, the so-called “propagating-front” and “virtual-frame” approaches) might allow spatial–temporal multiplexing far beyond current MRI practice. These methods, by sweeping gradients in both time and space, could in theory construct a continuously advancing information front — an imaging wave rather than a static field. I will briefly consider the limits imposed by factors such as the balance between gradient energy, tissue heating, spin relaxation, and informational throughput. I will also introduce a speculative therapeutic approach based on “inverse” NMR. Finally, I will ask but not answer the question, should we? Here, costs, ethics, data ownership, and the practical value of “perfect” knowledge all come into play.