Entertainment

Previously on display in cities across the world including New York City and London, "Bodies...The Exhibition" has finally made its debut in Las Vegas.

Twenty-one whole-body specimens are on display throughout the exhibit in various poses illustrating the body in motion. Poses include throwing darts, conducting music, pitching a baseball and hurling a discus. There are also more than 260 organs and partial-body specimens on display.

The specimens are preserved using a method known as polymer preservation, in which all tissue and water is replaced with silicone rubber. Polymer preservation gives visitors the chance to view the beauty and complexity of the human body as they never have before.

"Bodies...The Exhibition" is broken down into several displays based on anatomical systems including muscular, nervous, circulatory and digestive systems as well as special displays including fetal development, how disease affects the body and more.

In the portion of the exhibit focusing on bones and the human skeleton, visitors can view a fetal skull and the tiny bones which can be found in the ear. It is also in this portion of the exhibit where guests will learn that human bone is five times stronger than steel and that children's bones grow faster in the spring.

Corrosion casting is used to demonstrate the circulatory system in the human body. In corrosion casting, blood vessels are injected with a colored polymer which then hardens. Then the remaining tissue is removed to reveal an unobstructed view of the circulatory system (comprised of 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body). Samples on hand include arteries of the upper limb and of the stomach.

Perhaps the most eye-opening display in the exhibit illustrates the respiratory system. Visitors learn that every pack of cigarettes takes an average of two hours and 20 minutes off a person's life. A nearby display case houses a set of healthy lungs and heart alongside a smoker's lungs and heart, leaving no doubt about how much smoking affects the organs.

An area of the exhibit dedicated to fetal development is particularly intriguing but can be bypassed if the subject matter is too upsetting. One display depicts the gestation of an embryo from the chorionic sac to 32 weeks into pregnancy. Another provides examples of various birth defects including a set of conjoined twins.

In addition, several of the specimens illustrate the damage caused from over-eating, lack of exercise, forms of cancer and heart and brain diseases. Examples include a liver showing the effects of cirrhosis, the damage to the brain following a stroke and the brain of a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Visitors to "Bodies...The Exhibition" will experience a range of emotions throughout the exhibit, from fascination and discomfort to disbelief and amazement, but one thing is for sure, it's an exhibit that will leave a lasting impression.

--Review by Noelani Jones