50 speakers in the Omni Theater are driven by 24,000 watts of power.
GROSSOLOGY: THE (IMPOLITE) SCIENCE OF THE HUMAN BODY
Explore the good, the bad and the downright ugly about how your body works
FEBRUARY 25 – SEPTEMBER 3, 2012
Sometimes it’s stinky; sometimes it’s crusty; and sometimes it’slimy. Explore why your body produces mushy, oozy, crusty, scaly and stinky gunk at Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body during its appearance at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Based on the best-selling book Grossology, this exhibition uses sophisticated animatronics and imaginative exhibits to tell you the good, the bad and the downright ugly about runny noses, body odor and much more. Grossology will drip, ooze and slime at the Museum beginning February 25, 2012.
Take a “Tour du Nose” to explore 10 nasal features, including how your snoot acts as an air filter, a smell sensor and a mucus producer. Play the pinball game “Gas Attack” by scoring off bumpers dressed up as food items that cause gas. Mimic the build up of acid indigestion by causing the “Burp Machine” to release a giant belch. Explore the role of the kidney in a virtual reality experience in “Urine: The Game.” Take a ride on the GI slide, climb a large-scale replica of human skin, and discover other mysterious ways your body’s biology does what it needs to do to keep you healthy.
Grossology is based on the award-winning book, Grossology, by author Sylvia Branzei. As a teacher, writer, curriculum designer and microbiologist, Branzei explains the concept of Grossology as a learning tool. “This is science in disguise,” she says. “If we teach students in their own words, they’ll understand better and actually learn something.”
Admission to Grossology is included with Museum exhibit admission: $14 adults; $10 children (2-12) and seniors (60+). Museum members are free. Purchase tickets online or by phone at 817-255-9540. The exhibition will be on display through September 3, 2012.
GROSSOLOGY EXHIBIT COMPONENTS
Gallery Entrance
Meet “Her Grossness”, an animated character who introduces you to Grossology.
Nigel Nose-It-All
Guests activate this animatronic exhibit by pressing one of five buttons to learn about how their nose functions, including allergies, sinuses, snot trivia, runny noses and more.
In addition, microscopes at the exhibit’s base feature slides of things that cause runny noses. The animatronic figure moves its head, arms, eyelids and handle, and a special snot ball drops out of his faucet nose at various times during his presentation.
Tour du Nose
Enter a giant cartoon nose and explore ten very realistic nasal features: nose hair; conchae (the opening to the front of the sinuses); the septum; the eustachian tubes; mucus production; a view down the throat; tear ducts; the olfactory epithelium and blood vessels. As guests enter and walk to the back of the nose, the nose awakens and lets out a loud “sneeeeze,” which triggers a rush of air through the nose!
Skin Climbing Wall
This large-scale fiberglass replica of human skin features pimples, warts, wounds, hair, moles and other skin blemishes. Guests can discover many features of the skin as they climb across this wall.
Burp Man
A larger-than-life cartoon character drinks from a 3-foot pop can pumped by guests. The stomach pressure increases until the character releases a giant burp, while a second interactive exhibit shows how the sphincter works.
Gas Attack!
Everyone loves to play pinball. Two custom pinball games are positioned in front of an animated pig sitting atop a pile of poo. The games are customized to teach young guests which foods create more gas in their bodies. The animated pig says funny quips at the start and end of each game.
GI Slide
This exhibit is for young guests who slide and crawl through its giant 3-D model of the digestive system, from mouth to large intestine.
Patients Please!
Guests can learn their body parts in this activity styled ala the old famous game “Operation.” Guests can attempt to remove body parts from the game table without touching the sides of the holes. Lots of fun!
Click Ick
Play Grossology at one of two computer stations. Each computer has a character face positioned around its monitor.
Listen to Your Body
Press one of four buttons to listen to various body sounds: heart, stomach gurgles, breathing and swallowing.
Look Inside
Learn how food is digested as it passes through the gastrointestinal system.
Up Your Nose
Learn how boogers form in your nose by launching pollen balls at an oversized nose. Shooting five pollen balls into the nose causes the nose to sneeze and shoot back the balls at the guest.
Urine: the Game
Learn how the kidneys remove waste from the blood.
Vomit Center
A Rube Goldbergesque structure of the digestive system explores the many causes of vomiting.
Y U Stink
Match the body odors with the area of the body they come from: arm pits, lower intestines, mouth & feet. You smell, select your answer, then a red or green light glows from under the bacteria model to identify if you have answered correctly.
Toot Toot
Guests use rubber tubing and air to learn about the physics of tooting.
Let’s Play GROSSOLOGY!
How much do you know about the gross things your body does? This multiple choice trivia game tests what guests have learned from visiting Grossology.
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