2026-08-20 / Signal #3
Google’s PhotoScan Turns Any Selfie Into a Near-DXA Body-Fat and Insulin-Resistance Scan
“Your phone just measured the fat around your liver.”
The Story
Google researchers trained PhotoScan on UK Biobank plus new clinical cohorts so a pair of ordinary smartphone photos can estimate body-fat percentage, android/gynoid ratio, and visceral/subcutaneous fat almost as accurately as a hospital DXA scan, then predict insulin resistance better than BMI or smartwatch BIA. It is still research-only.
Why It Matters
AI is now reading your organs from the same selfie you post. Identity, body, health, and quiet surveillance collide in one concrete model.
Evidence
Google Research blog (Aug 17) + arXiv paper + Hacker News mention
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-08-20