BODY WORLDS Unveils the worldwide premiere of the hockey couple and Brown
Bear plastinates at the Ontario Science Centre

TORONTO , Jan. 8 /CNW/ - The record-breaking exhibition BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart has unveiled the worldwide premiere of a hockey couple, Poetry on Ice and a fully plastinated 275 KG Brown Bear. The new specimens were revealed Friday, January 8 at the Ontario Science Centre.

Dr. Gunther von Hagens, inventor of Plastination and creator of BODY WORLDS said of the hockey plastinates, "I know that hockey is more than a national pastime and a wonderful obsession. I wanted to honor Canada's passion for hockey and created these specimens that would resonate with the Canadian public."

The hockey players, each being 180 and 184 cm tall with a combined weight of 160 kg, are the world's first plastinate duo in which the fragile internal organs, in their preserved state and with natural colors, can be easily admired from all angles. The specimens required 3,700 hours of preparation time - including 2,100 hours for the positioning and fine dissection. They convey "topographic anatomy," the anatomy of spatial relations.

Also premiering is the Brown Bear, one of the largest land-based predators in Eurasia and North America . This specimen is 2.23 metres from head-to-feet and weighs 275 kg. Through the engaging anatomy displays accompanying the specimens, visitors can learn fascinating facts, such as the Brown Bear's heart rate can drop as low as 8 BPM (beat per minute) during hibernation, and as high as 100 BPM whilst in a disturbed state.

BODY WORLDS & The Story of The Heart features more than 200 authentic specimens, including entire bodies, individual organs and transparent body slices. The exhibit is an unforgettable anatomy lesson that allows visitors to see and understand physiology and health and gain new appreciation and respect for what it means to be human. More than 29 million visitors around the world have experienced BODY WORLDS exhibitions.

Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS exhibitions are the original, precedent-setting public anatomical exhibitions of real human bodies, and the only anatomical exhibits that use donated bodies, willed by donors to the Institute for Plastination for the express purpose of serving the BODY WORLDS mission to educate the public about health and anatomy. To date, more than 10,000 people have agreed to donate their bodies to Institute for Plastination.

Body Worlds is presented by National Bank Financial Group and has been financially assisted by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, and through the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund of the Ministry of Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.

About the Ontario Science Centre:

The Ontario Science Centre opened on September 26, 1969 , a global pioneer of the concept of an interactive science museum. Since then, well over 44 million visitors have passed through its doors. It is a model for over 2,000 science centres built since its inception around the world. The Ontario Science Centre uses science as the lens to inspire and actively engage people in new ways of seeing, understanding and thinking about themselves and the world around them. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information, visit (less than)http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/(greater than) www.ontariosciencecentre.ca or call our box office at 416-696-1000.

About National Bank of Canada

National Bank of Canada , which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2009, is an integrated group which provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. National Bank has to close to $135 million in assets and, together with its subsidiaries, employs 17, 772 people. The Bank's securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (NA:TSX). For more information, visit the Bank's website at (less than)http://www.nbc.ca(greater than) www.nbc.ca

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: BODY WORLDS: Media & Communications Manager, Mavis Harris, [phone] or [email protected]; Or Ontario Science Centre: Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Anna Relyea, [phone] or [email protected]