LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 The California premiere of BODY WORLDS 3 & The Story of the Heart opens at the California Science Center March 14, 2008 and runs through September 7, 2008. The exhibit features over 200 authentic human specimens including whole body plastinates not seen before, organs, translucent body slices, and the debut of a special presentation on the heart.
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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080117/DC11822 )
The Science Center hosted the US premiere of BODY WORLDS in 2004 and BODY WORLDS 2 in 2005. Combined, the exhibits made Science Center history with a total of more than 930,000 visitors.
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Science Center President Jeffrey N. Rudolph notes that, "After the phenomenal success we experienced with BODY WORLDS, we are thrilled to host the debut of BODY WORLDS 3 in California. It's another great opportunity to expand the scope of our educational mission and present the science of anatomy and important health messages in a way that we know will encourage further science learning and positively impact the lifestyle choices of many who see the exhibit."
BODY WORLDS 3 & The Story of the Heart, presented by Herbalife, is organized according to the major systems of the body. This includes: the locomotive system, nervous system, reproductive system, digestive system and cardiovascular system. The exhibit also features a special presentation on the heart, revealing through the lens of anatomy, cardiology, psychology and culture how this four-chambered muscle nourishes, regulates and sustains life. Through the life-like and dramatic poses of full-body specimens and detailed presentation of organs and body parts, guests gain profound insights into the structure and function of healthy and unhealthy bodies.
As with its BODY WORLDS predecessors, BODY WORLDS 3 & The Story of the Heart, spanning 20,000 sq. feet, will be among the largest exhibits ever presented at the Science Center.
Created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, BODY WORLDS 3 is the result of the German scientist and physician's three decade long research and development endeavors in Plastination science. BODY WORLDS 3 presents specimens, both organs and whole-bodies, that have undergone Plastination --- von Hagens' groundbreaking method of halting decomposition and preserving the body after death for medical study, which he invented in 1977. Dr. von Hagens says that this exhibition captures the evolution and refinement of his invention.
The Process of Plastination
During Plastination, all bodily fluids and soluble fats are replaced with reactive resins and elastomers such as silicon rubber and epoxy, through a vacuum process. After gas, heat, or light curing, the specimens assume rigidity and permanence. "The purpose of Plastination from its very inception was a scientific one, to educate medical students," said Dr. Gunther von Hagens. "But the interest that laypeople had in the plastinated specimens inspired me to think of creating public exhibitions, which was followed by the realization that I had to offer a heightened sense of aesthetics, to avoid shocking the public and to capture their imagination."
The whole-body plastinates in BODY WORLDS 3 are comprised of people who, in their lifetime, donated their bodies for Plastination and the express purpose of educating future generations about health.
"BODY WORLDS 3 is collaboration, a joint quest toward enlightenment between donor, anatomist and visitor," says Dr. Gunther von Hagens. Nearly 25 million visitors in more than 40 cities across Asia, Europe, and North America have viewed these exhibits since the first one debuted in Japan in 1996, and more than 8,000 donors, including over 700 Americans, have bequeathed their bodies to von Hagens' Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany.
In preparation for bringing the first BODY WORLDS exhibit to the Unit
