Las Vegas has always been a paradise for those of us who like to people watch. A stroll down the Strip offers an incredibly diverse display of humans. Sizes, shapes, behaviors, you can see it all. Now The Bodies Exhibit at The Luxor allows you to take that one step further. No longer are you limited to gawking at the outside of people, you’ll get a chance to see the insides.

The exhibit consists of actual human cadavers preserved in such a way that they retain their natural appearance. They are dissected and presented to high light the anatomical systems of the human body: Skeletal, muscular, respiratory, circulatory, digestive.
It is a beautiful (and occasionally creepy) way to understand and appreciate the magnificent machine that we all walk around in.

Some of the displays are very dramatic. One of the bodies is posed shooting a basketball to demonstrate the muscles required to toss and balance, the interaction of arms and legs. Another is sliced in half vertically so all the organs and bones can be seen in place.
But some of the things that I found most awe inspiring were the tiny, tiny details. I had seen text book illustrations of the three inner-ear bones (the smallest in the body), but to see them physically was to really get a sense of how small they are. They look like three little pieces of eggshell. You have to get right up close to make out their intricate shapes. Every thing you have ever heard in your life – music, a best friend’s terrible jokes, a whispered secret, the pop of a champagne cork – all of these are only possible because of the movement of these itty-bitty specs of bone.

I was also amazed by the fetal development room (which can be by passed by those who are going to be upset). The whole process is shown. We see examples of the week by week early growth of the body from something that would fit on your  fingernail to a full sized infant. It was like being able to glimpse into a womb. (Fun fact that I learned: we all spend about half an hour as a single cell)

Also of note is the display of the circulatory system. Dye was injected into the veins and arteries of bodies and then the surrounding tissue was dissolved leaving stunning structures that look like some fantastic undersea creature. Each of us has a unique vascular pattern with about a hundred thousand miles of blood vessels. (That’s half way to the freaking moon!!)

The auditory tour (brought to you by the vibrations of your wee auditory ossicles ) is a great enhancement. There are both adult and children’s versions of the commentary. Which brings up a point, should youngsters attend? My advice is: Know your kid. There are six year olds who are going to love this (and might just be inspired to a career in medicine) and there are seventeen year olds who will get nothing but nightmares.
The best part, of course, is that all of these bodies are beneath the Luxor’s all-powerful pyramid. And maybe – just maybe – you’ll get to witness their terrifying reanimation.
But, even if you’re not lucky enough to see that, The Bodies Exhibit can be a great break from the non-stop stimulation of the Strip.

- Scot Augustson