BODY WORLDS welcomes the 100,000th visitor to Ontario Science Centre

TORONTO , Dec. 4 /CNW/ - It has been a mere 57 days since the opening of Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart and yet this week The Ontario Science Centre welcomed the 100,000th visitor through its doors to experience the exhibit.

The 100,000th visitor, Tanya Tazbaz was presented with a free admission on the day, a one year free family membership for the Ontario Science Centre, books, and DVD's. BODY WORLDS first run at the Ontario Science Centre brought in over 450,000 visitors and this new exhibit is fast on its heels to beating that record. School groups are also making a huge impact on numbers - 30 per cent of visitors have been from schools and their attendance is already surpassing school bookings for the previous exhibition.

BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart includes more than 200 authentic human specimens and features the North American premiere of a striking new animal plastinate - a giraffe measuring 5.60 metres from head-to-feet, which took 6,650 hours and two years to complete. The exhibit is organized according to the major systems of the body including the locomotive, nervous, reproductive, digestive and cardiovascular systems. The exhibit also features a special presentation on the heart, examining how this four-chambered muscle nourishes, regulates and sustains life. Through life-like and dramatic poses of full-body specimens and detailed presentation of organs and body parts, guests gain profound insights into the structure and function of healthy and unhealthy bodies.

The striking whole-body Plastinates in BODY WORLDS -people who in their lifetime donated their bodies for Plastination for the express purpose of educating future generations about health-allow viewers to see inside the staggeringly complex and completely interconnected network of muscles, tendons and blood vessels that make up our bodies.

The Ontario Science Centre will provide unique added-value for visitors through a variety of programming and events scheduled throughout the run of the exhibition. Programs currently offered include:

Heart To Heart with Science

Join our visiting scientists in the Body Worlds exhibition and hear about their current work in the fields of medicine and research. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays from 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Sodium Challenge

Come join us in the Challenge Zone to discover more about sodium, how it works in the human body, and help solve some real life Sodium Challenges. Throughout the day. Sponsored by Campbell's.

Under Pressure

Researchers from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario will be on site to test your blood pressure and to explain what the numbers mean. December 19-20 and January 16-17, throughout the day.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Canadian Blood Services will share information about blood donation and you can find out your blood type and what it means. December 18 to January 3 throughout the day.

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Cost: Extended exhibit hour rates begin at 4:30pm and are $21.00 and do not apply to the rest of The Ontario Science Centre. Special rates apply for the durations of BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart.

Adults (18-64) $28.50 , Senior (65+) $24.50 , Youth (13-17) $24.50 , Child (4-12) $18.50 , Infant (3 and under) free. For more information please refer to the rate chart online at http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/calendar/default.asp?showid=883

Hours: The Ontario Science Centre is open from 10am to 5pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to 9pm on Friday and Saturday for the duration of BODY WORLD & The Story of the Heart.

Location: The Ontario Science Centre is located at 770 Don Mills Road in Toronto , ON, just south of Don Mills Road and Eglinton.

On the Web: More information is also available at www.bodyworlds.com or www.OntarioScienceCentre.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: For more information and images, please contact: BODY WORLDS: Media & Communications Manager, Mavis Harris, [phone] or [email protected]; ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE: Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Anna Relyea, [phone] or [email protected]