Copied to Clipboard
Ms. Frizzle, eat your heart out.
BODY WORLDS, the anatomical exploration and international wonder, has arrived at The Franklin Institute this year with a newly curated exhibition, BODY WORLDS: Vital.
Made up of over 150 preserved organic specimens — including 20 whole human bodies (!) — BODY WORLDS: Vital is a celebration of life that lets visitors get up close and personal with the complexities of the human body through stunning installations and immersive displays.
See BODY WORLDS: Vital now through September 1, 2025, and read on for four of my most surprising experiences.
The latest iteration of the three-decade-old traveling exhibition, BODY WORLDS: Vital at The Franklin Institute showcases more than 150 biological specimens, including nearly two-dozen full-body human and animal body displays.
— Photo courtesy The Franklin Institute
The exhibition — curated by Dr. Angelina Whalley — spans two separate exhibit halls and includes multimedia displays, video projections, specimen installations and a handful of interactive elements, like cuffs to measure your blood pressure. (Mine was in the normal range, thanks for asking.)
Featured displays include an archer shooting a bow, a guitarist rocking out, a smoker taking a drag, a runner bolting at full sprint and even a dog excitedly carrying a big stick.
When they say these are bodies, they’re actually real bodies.
Each specimen in BODY WORLDS: Vital is preserved through the innovative process of plastination, which replaces all body fluids and fat with silicone and other polymers.
Then, the specimen gets cured, which hardens it and freezes it in time. Science!
The preserved specimens in BODY WORLDS: Vital go deep beneath the surface to show the impact of diseases and other factors, along with the resilience of the human body.
The exhibition displays side-by-side comparisons of a healthy set of lungs next to those of a lifelong smoker; it shows the effects of cancer on the body; it demonstrates how bone can deteriorate over time; it charts healthy arteries versus clogged ones; and much more.
But the most surprising part of the exhibition for me was when it explored how the body and mind are connected — like how exercise and human connection produce happiness chemicals, how positive or negative thinking creates “data highways” in the brain that reinforce those feelings, or how one could genuinely die from a broken heart. Brb crying.
OK, where do these “real” bodies come from? Great question! They’re donated.
A room full of bodies seems real sus nowadays, but it was enlightening to learn that all specimens in BODY WORLDS: Vital were ethically donated to Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ Institute of Plastination — and they’ve been double-checked by physicians.
So far, more than 21,000 people worldwide have registered to be body donors at the institute, all to support medical education and public health awareness. This means you, too, could be part of the exhibition. (No rush.)
Timed tickets are required for BODY WORLDS: Vital, which are separate from general admission to The Franklin Institute.
Daytime, evening and flex tickets are available, with bundles that include general admission, and discounts for youth and members.
Want to enhance your BODY WORLDS experience? Check out Body Odyssey, The Franklin Institute’s latest revamped core exhibition (included with general admission). Trip to the Giant Heart, anyone?
For more on BODY WORLDS: Vital, visit The Franklin Institute’s website below.
VISIT Official Website
The only way to fully experience Philly? Stay over.
Book the Visit Philly Overnight Package and get free hotel parking and priceless peace of mind.