Look: Museum showcasing human body opens at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa University

The exhibition gives visitors a closer look at the different systems of the body, how they work together, and how disease and ageing can affect you

Published: Thu 9 Feb 2023, 6:32 PM

By
Ismail Sebugwaawo

A new museum that explores the human body and how it works in intricate detail has opened in Abu Dhabi.

The Body Museum at Khalifa University is a permanent exhibition that offers an unprecedented opportunity for everyone to learn about the human body and be inspired to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Located on the university’s ground floor, the museum is one-of-a-kind exhibit that takes visitors to a journey of learning and understanding the human body.

Managed by Khalifa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Body Museum strengthens the university’s goal of educating future generations to live healthy and informed lives.

The museum showcases the different systems of the body (dissected and ‘plastinated’ human bodies), how these systems work together, and how disease and ageing affect the human body.

“The exhibits include muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, digestive system including the excretory system, reproductive system and how disease and aging affect these systems,” Dr. John Rock, Khalifa University’s Founding Dean of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sr. Vice President for Health Affairs and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology told Khaleej Times during the inauguration of the museum on Thursday.

“The Body Museum is an amazing opportunity to look inside the human body. Through the process of plastination, we are able to preserve bodies to give us a glimpse of what the inside of our bodies look like.”

He pointed out that the Body Museum aims to generate interest in studying medical sciences as well as embodying a healthy lifestyle.

"The exhibits demonstrate the complexity, resilience, and vulnerability of the human body in distress, stricken by disease or in optimal health. We believe the exhibition will help students in the UAE learn about the marvels of [the] human body, and gain insight into human anatomy, its various stages and how adopting a healthier lifestyle positively impacts the body," Rock explained.

The intent of the museum is to introduce visitors to the functions of each human muscle and nerve, and what happens when moving or concentrating – as is the case, for example, with a chess player – as well as how the contraction of each muscle and nerve in the back works, with each movement of a hand.

The plastinated body at the museum also demonstrates the coordination of swimmer’s feet, leg muscles and arms with every movement in water, as well as spectacular muscle growth in athletes.

A display of dark grey smokers’ lungs damaged by smoking also demonstrates how bad habits damage the body.

The Body Museum at Khalifa University is open to students from across schools and universities in the UAE as well as the general public.

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