Sometime last year, I went with friends to see the Bodies Exhibit in South Side Street Seaport. Amazing.

Using a special technique, they get rid of all tissue and fill every cell with a polymer that replaces the muscles and the bone and everything. What’s amazing is that every part of the human body right there for you to see.

The exhibition is huge – you can see the details of all major muscles groups, every major organ (in healthy and decayed state – the smoker lung was frightening), and how all the organs are aligned. For example, imagine a large opening in a human being that allowed you to see their lungs, kidneys, liver, stomach and intestines – that’s exactly what you see, without any blood or gore. They show bodies in motion – throwing a ball or doing an activity and show you which muscles, tendons and ligaments are in play. So cool.

There’s also a room where you can see a fetus develop from a week old. Given the sensitivity of the subject (these are, after all, real fetuses that have been through their preservation process), they make it really easy to skip the room, should you wish. They even show you blood vessels – there was a human-size example of just blood vessels to show you how they are distributed across the body.

All of it is real – no “models” anywhere. If I had seen this when I was in school, it would have taken Biology to a whole new level. If you aren’t super-squeamish, definitely go see this (details of tickets and dates on their website).

_{Photo source: Seattle Times}