Today I saw dead bodies

Lauren, her mom, her friend Briana, and I went to Cincinnati today to see BODIES... The Exhibition. It was fantastic. The human body is just so wonderfully complex and amazing. It's almost enough to make me believe in Intelligent Design.

The exhibit went through each of the body's systems and structures. Since it used real preserved bodies, everything was realistic and amazingly detailed. I find the digestive system the most gross, the reproductive system the coolest, and the brain the most interesting. The digestive system reminds me of how we are, at some level, still just apes. We ingest meat and plants, turn them into paste, suck the nutrients out of them, and then eject them from our body. The process is disgusting at one level, although just like with everything else in the body, it is also amazing: so many complicated organs, tissues, and cells working together to make sure that we get the energy we need to survive. The reproductive system, with its dichotomous division of labour, is really cool. For women, the entire experience of carrying a life inside oneself must be astounding. For males, well ... every sperm is sacred!

I find the brain the most interesting organ because of the mysteries inherent in its function. Scientists have divined so much about the brain's operation, but so much more remains unknown. It is closely linked to who we are as individuals. Our brain stores our memories, regulates the rest of our body--the most minute chemical change alters how we perceive the world and how we act. At one level, we are a series of electrons zipping about chemical pathways in our brain.

I seem to have lost my train of thought, so I think I'll stop now. :D