Bodies

R and I saw the Bodies Exhibit in a strip mall at Easton. Actual human bodies were preserved using a polymer preservation process so all the bones, muscles, blood vessels and organs were visible. It was fascinating to see all the intricate body parts outside of a textbook. One body was posed as a basketball player, and you could see the flexed arm muscles holding the ball. This sounds terrible, but when I saw the leg muscles I couldn't help thinking about the giant turkey legs that they sell at Renaissance Fest. I briefly considered becoming a vegetarian. Another exhibit showed a healthy lung next to one that belonged to a smoker. If I smoked that would have convinced me to quit. The healthy lung was smooth and pinkish. The smoker's lung was disgustingly bumpy and black. Ewwww.

Here are some interesting facts I learned:

• A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph.
• Everyone has a unique tongue print. I'm glad we got fingerprinted in school instead of tongue printed. Plus, a tongue print probably isn't overly useful at a crime scene.
• Babies have 300 bones when they are born. Adults only have 206 bones.
• Most people lose half their taste buds by age 60. No wonder the food at MCL and other cafeterias for seniors is always super salty.