I was really excited when I heard earlier today, on the KEX morning news, that OMSI will be hosting the Body Worlds exhibit this spring/summer. I had been anticipating that I would have to travel out of town (to Vancouver, BC or Phoenix) to see this.

The exhibit is built around a preservation technique that replaces the water in tissue with polymers. Once the water is gone, spoilage can't occur. Supposedly, this technique does a reasonably good job of preserving the color of specimens.

According to the website, this is a human anatomy exhibit that focuses on two main areas: how the musculoskeletal system functions during physical activity and the impact of various different lifestyle choices on bodily organs. Of course, there is the requisite smoker's lungs and heart specimen (years of regular cigarette smoking not only dirties and damages the lungs but it often results in an enlarged heart, as well).

The exhibit opens June 7, and the official website for its Portland engagement is:
http://www.omsi.edu/visit/featured/bodyworlds/?thumbURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eomsi% 2Eedu%2Fvisit%2Ffeatured%2Fbodyworlds%2F

Ooooooh, very cool!!!

Alfredo, have you read the book "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach?

If you haven't, I highly recommend it, I gave my copy to my perinatologist, who also loved it...

http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393324826/sr=1-1/qi d=1169708749/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3137879-0212945?ie=UTF8&s=books

That book would look perfect on the Noguchi coffee table next to the "Time-Life Picture Book of Human Sacrifice."

The "Bodies" exhibit came through my city last year. It's definitely worth seeing. Completely compelling without getting gross.

I'll have to read "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" sometime. I started looking at the Amazon.com summary for this book, and it looks like cadavers are much more useful to science than the traditional uses that I had always envisioned: tissue/organ donation and anatomical specimens for educational use.