Universe Within Exhibit

Very interesting to see actual human bodies and organs on display. Might be too intense for some. For the price, I felt like the exhibit should have been bigger, and the displays needed more details and explanation. You’re just presented with the bodies, then a poster labelling parts of the body — but what do these parts do? You won’t know unless you have had previous courses in human biology or anatomy. I also wish the videos being shown in the exhibit better explained the process of obtaining these bodies (kind of creepy not knowing where they’re from) and the process of preserving them. However, I do encourage checking it out before it closes because this isn’t something you see in your typical science museum.

This is the «made in China» ersatz Body Worlds (
) exhibit of plasticized cadavers from Peking University. Both charge the same admission price, but the Universe Within only has one big room whereas Body Worlds is about 4 – 5 times bigger and has much better craftsmanship in plasticizing the bodies. Having seen Body Worlds first, Universe Within was a total letdown – I’d say skip this and hope that Body Worlds will someday come to SF. It’s a traveling exhibit and it’s in Chicago right now, and will be in Cleveland and Philly later. There was a lot of hoopla surrounding the Universe Within because there was a news expose on the bodies leaking silicone and fat, and the lack of paperwork for importing the cadavers. The exhibit ends soon, so go while you can – supposedly, according to the news, the SF Health Dept and the City Council may shut it down pending an investigation.

It’s not every day you see inside the human body. That’s why the cadaver exhibitiion is so interesting. A curious set of exhibits including full bodies, single organs and cross sections. It’s too bad that there weren’t better explanatory materials — I was dying for a multimedia presentation on the endocrine system. Bring a friend with medical training.