'Body Worlds Pulse' opens at California Science Center

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- If science was this interesting at school, many of us might have made better grades. After a 13-year absence, "Body Worlds" returns to the California Science Center with a new exhibit, "Body Worlds Pulse."

More than 200 plastinated specimens give visitors an in-depth look at how the human body looks and works.

"How fragile how vulnerable it is, but at the same time how resilient it is," said Dr. Angelina Whalley, Creative Architect of "Body Worlds."

There are fascinating examples of arteries, veins and capillaries: a network that, spread out, would cover 60,000 miles. There is also a display of the central nervous system that sends impulses out at 250 mph.

If your aim is to get someone to stop smoking, the healthy lungs vs. black lungs exhibit just might do the trick. It shows the effects of emphysema.

The exhibit also includes a sliced human, still intact.

More than 40 million people have seen "Body Worlds." The exhibit has been around for 20 years. Among those surveyed after seeing the exhibit, nine percent said they stopped smoking. Thirty-three percent are eating healthier and 25 percent said they exercise more.

Interactive stations help show how things impact our body's performance: digestion, posture and even stress.

Because these specimens are real humans and can be graphic, the science center says children younger than 12 must attend with an adult.

"Body Worlds" will be at the California Science Center from May 20 until February.