Reconsidering Body Worlds?

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Reconsidering Body Worlds?

"When Dr. Gunther von Hagens started using “plastination“ in the 1970s to preserve human bodies, he likely did not anticipate the wild success of the Body Worlds exhibitions that stem from his creation. Body Worlds has since hosted millions of visitors to its exhibits, including six spin-offs. The offshoots include a version on vital organs and another featuring plastinated animal remains. The process replaces natural bodily fluids with polymers that harden to create odorless and dry "specimens.”"

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The science of anatomy is undergoing a revival

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The science of anatomy is undergoing a revival

"Researchers have also solved the mystery of how monitor lizards got venom glands. They have discovered that lunge-feeding whales have a special sense organ in their chin that helps them engulf vast amounts of food. And like the whales, it seems crocodiles have sense organs in their jaws, which can detect vibrations in the water."

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What is the funny bone?

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What is the funny bone?

Put a finger on the point of your elbow.

Feel inwards from there about half and inch or slightly more until you find another bony outcrop.

Got it? Good.

Tap with your finger in the valley between those landmarks as hard as you like.

If you enjoyed that sensation you’re very much in the minority! You just found your funny bone.

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What is brain plasticity and why is it so important?

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What is brain plasticity and why is it so important?

"Neuroplasticity – or brain plasticity – is the ability of the brain to modify its connections or re-wire itself. Without this ability, any brain, not just the human brain, would be unable to develop from infancy through to adulthood or recover from brain injury."

"What makes the brain special is that, unlike a computer, it processes sensory and motor signals in parallel. It has many neural pathways that can replicate another’s function so that small errors in development or temporary loss of function through damage can be easily corrected by rerouting signals along a different pathway."

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Why aren’t there any human doctors in Star Wars?

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Why aren’t there any human doctors in Star Wars?

Though set “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” it isn’t hard to see in the Star Wars films a vision of our own not so distant future. But Anthony Jones, a physician with a long background in health care technology development, sees the Star Wars vision of medicine’s future as sheer fantasy. Specifically, he is struck by the dearth of doctors – at least human ones. “In Star Wars,” he says, “there are no people practicing medicine. Caring for patients seems to have been taken over by machines.”

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