GetBodySmart.com is a wonderful and remarkably complete resource to learn about the systems that keep our body running, including the skeletal , nervous and even urinary systems. What's more amazing is that it's all created by one man in his spare time and for no gain of his own. Read his mission statement here.
posted on Sep 17, 2008 - View this thread

Get your learn on. 180+ ways of investigating the human brain = hours of fun for the whole family. Thanks to an innocuous question by a 5 year old, my entire evening is now being spent investigating and discussing the structure and workings of the human brain. This flash site lets you explore the workings of the brain according to 12 subject areas (each with subtopics which are not included in the "180" count), within each of which are 5 levels of organization from social to molecular, within each of which are three levels of explanation (beginner, intermediate, and advanced.) discovered via Wikipedia.
posted on Aug 19, 2008 - View this thread

Overlooked or ignored for far too long by the medical establishment, twisty balloon dog anatomy and gummi bear anatomy are just two of the crucial areas that Moist Production's Jason Freeny is working to bring wider attention to. He's also to be commended for his tireless efforts in raising awareness of Disney character suicide and death by unexplainable circumstance. And there's free downloadable desktops, kids! [1 or 2 of the pages at Moist maybe NSFW]
posted on May 29, 2008 - View this thread

James Mundie is an artist and photographer whose work often includes sideshow themes. He recently returned from Europe having been allowed to photograph a number of anatomy museum exhibits. He has also contributed to a Flickr group entitled “Bottled Babies”, which , in a previous era, were known as “Pickled Punks”. (Probably NSFW)
posted on May 5, 2008 - View this thread

Tohoku University's Kano Collection is an unparalleled collection of japanese books from the Edo period. The beautiful and grizzly Kaibou zonshinzu anatomical chart has been making the blogrounds lately but that's only one of the countless treasures the Kano Collection has to offer. Stumbling around near-blindly, like a non-Japanese reader such as myself, with only minimal help from the site, I have come across an amazing variety of beautiful objects, such as this picture book, a scroll with images of animals, city map, map of Japan, battle map, another picture book, the Kaitai shouzu anatomical chart and this picture scroll which has my favorite little scene I've come across in the collection. Whole days could be spent just surfing idly through the Kano Collection.
posted on Apr 28, 2008 - View this thread

You Walk Wrong. "It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take." [Via]
posted on Apr 22, 2008 - View this thread

Facial Expression Simulator Apparently it's useful for helping autistics learn facial expressions, among other things. Related.
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - View this thread

How to draw a female in proportion. If you're a cartoonist. If you're a manga artist. If you're a traditional artist. Divine proportions (NSFW) Idealized Proportions (artistic nudity) Historic Proportions.
posted on Nov 30, 2007 - View this thread

The pancreas is a completely crummy organ...... so which parts of the human body could you design better? Interesting article and comments.
posted on Nov 3, 2007 - View this thread

Morbid Anatomy - an excellent blog with a focus on art, medicine, death, and culture. Great viewing anytime, but it might also be a good reference source for any macabre seasonal celebrations!
posted on Oct 8, 2007 - View this thread

Historical medicine and health images - there's some fun browsing for aficionados of antique medical technologies, such as orthapedic devices, anatomical illustrations and models, public health materials, and much more. Each image can be enlarged and has explanatory text. (Just a small part of the 30,000+ image database of the wonderful site ingenious, previously brought to our attention by Fat Buddha.)
posted on Aug 3, 2007 - View this thread

Beauty is more than skin deep.
posted on Jun 15, 2007 - View this thread

Fritz Kahn was a German writer & illustrator in the 1920s who specialized in illustrating the physical processes of human bodies as though they were machine powered. Perhaps it's easier to show than describe.
posted on Jun 13, 2007 - View this thread

Respect the cock! Or duck, as the case may be. Avian co-evolution in action, from the New York Times.
posted on May 1, 2007 - View this thread

Outstanding collection of 18th century obstetrical models at the Anatomical Museum in Modena, Italy. NSFW, the teratology section at the end is especially gruesome. [via]
posted on Mar 15, 2007 - View this thread

The Vija Celmins of scrotal art (NSFW).
posted on Feb 19, 2007 - View this thread

Amamanta Family Dolls offers you a variety of multicultural and educational doll sets that are anatomically correct.
posted on Dec 13, 2006 - View this thread

Curious about what a college class in Anatomy and Physiology is like? Here's Berkeley's version on Google Video, complete with adorable professor with a great collection of colorful scarfs. via Nurse Sean
posted on Oct 14, 2006 - View this thread

Historical anatomy models were a marriage of art and science. From about the 13th to the 19th centuries, exquisite wax models were the state of the art. Florence's La Specola anatomical wax museum houses the works of master artists, such as Ercole Lelli, Anna Morandi, and Clemente Susini. The later years of wax models tended towards the grotesque: moulage and depictions of pathological conditions and physical anomalies. Due to the labor required and delicacy of wax models, papier-mâché became the favored production method in the 19th century, partly due to the ability to dissect the models. Over time, models became more stylized to protect the delicate sensibilities of the public. Today, models are again shocking the public with extreme realism.
posted on Aug 30, 2006 - View this thread

A collection of bird skeletons (with 3d rotating skeleton goodness). The site also has tips on cleaning your own, and identifying those you might, uh, stumble across. Comparative pictures and anatomy of orangutan, chimp, marmoset, and lemur skeletons. Will's Skull Site, with close to 100 skulls and details (Cougar!). The California Academy of Sciences site on skulls, including this cool animal-to-skull match tool. Skeleton specimen tutorials from the Vetrinary Museum. The Human Osteology pages. A x-ray anatomy of the human skeleton. The Human Skull module at CalState Chico. And, you know, dragon physiology. And previously, the skeletal systems of cartoon characters.
posted on Mar 29, 2006 - View this thread

ARTnatomy: Anatomical Basis of Facial Expression Learning Tool. See how all the different muscles in your face work. Flash interface; via Drawn!
posted on Mar 15, 2006 - View this thread

Why Homos have big butts, short shouts, and big leg joints: long distance running.
posted on Dec 12, 2005 - View this thread

Historical Anatomies. Bury the bones under forgotten tomes.
posted on Dec 8, 2005 - View this thread

A Healthy Heart [possibly slightly NSFW intro] A slick Flash interface with 3D navigation controls, zoomable graphics, video segments, interactive models. From Anatomical Travelogue.
posted on Sep 19, 2005 - View this thread

The artist swallowed a pill-sized camera that photographically auto-documented its journey through his body, taking 65,000 photographs in seven and a half hours. (Alternate link, scroll horizontally.)
posted on Jul 1, 2005 - View this thread

Artificial Anatomy
posted on Mar 16, 2005 - View this thread

Interactive Human Body Rotate, drag, and drop human organs into place. Educational and fun.
posted on Mar 9, 2005 - View this thread

7 Lightbulbs, 3 Flashlights, and 1 Kangaroo Tumor - A database (of sorts) of objects that have found themselves lodged in rectums. (probably SFW)
posted on Dec 7, 2004 - View this thread

Move over, Gray's Anatomy! Children draw the human body.
posted on Oct 14, 2004 - View this thread

Explore your inner beauty. Under our skin, we are all so strange and fragile. Sometimes, we like to frighten ourselves with that fact. Sometimes, we like to turn it into art. No matter how far we advance, the human head and heart will always house awe for our lovely mysteries. (Warning: graphic medical images and animation.)
posted on Sep 19, 2004 - View this thread

Check out the giant cancer fighting colon... of science! "It's part of a national tour to educate people about various types of common and preventable cancers. The 'Check Your Insides Out -- Top to Bottom' tour is full of interactive educational exhibits on colon, lung, oral, breast, prostate and skin cancers."
posted on Jun 24, 2004 - View this thread

skulls
posted on Sep 11, 2003 - View this thread

Visual Human Server .. a virtual anatomy lesson using java.
posted on Aug 23, 2003 - View this thread

The Harvard Brain Atlas has a veritable plethora of images of the brain, whether normal or diseased. Tours, 3-D Java exploration and a [very difficult] quiz are available. Plus: the top 100 brain structures!
posted on Aug 19, 2003 - View this thread

" I discovered that by severing a nerve behind the knee, the muscle would atrophy." Plastic surgery is booming in Asia, including some very painful procedures (such as the aforementioned trick to achieve "Western-style" legs.)
posted on Aug 13, 2003 - View this thread

Dissection videos. Dartmouth: Human Anatomy. University of Wisconsin Medical School: Human Anatomy. TissueLink: Liver. University of Michigan: Peritoneum. Palo Alto School District: Sheep's Heart. University of Alberta: Cat; Squalus. American Museum of Natural History: Dogfish Shark. University of Virginia: Frog. Scott Middle School, Fort Knox, Kentucky: Frog; Worm (On the first frog dissection video the teacher tells the students, "He's dead, he won't complain. I promise he won't sue."). University of Kentucky: Esophageal Hiatus. ThinkQuest: Starfish. Carolina Biological Supply: Owl Pellets. Science Man: Television Set. Greg Frederickson: Twist-hinged dissection of an equilateral triangle to a square. More geometric dissections: Geometric dissections on the web.
posted on Jul 22, 2003 - View this thread

A beating heart
Via b3ta.
posted on Mar 5, 2003 - View this thread

This news item turned out to be a hoax. Has Reuters been fooled again? I certainly smell a rat... (I know the original mefi link pointed to the BBC, but the BBC picked it up from Reuters)
posted on Oct 19, 2002 - View this thread

Momo's parts. All about the different parts of one Japanese man's pet hamster plus illustrations. "I have read that hamster's whiskers shows the width that they can pass through. But Momo forgets. One day Momo tried to go into the cleaner hose. As he has the big hip, he could't go into it. And in his effect to go, he could't get his head out. When I ran to him in a hurry, his head gone out of the hose, and he rolled backward."
posted on May 17, 2002 - View this thread

Offended academic smashes German doctor's "Plastination" exhibit in London "I decided I would walk into the exhibition with a hammer and smash up the most expensive exhibit to make the point that you cannot turn bodies into commercial exhibits." This exhibit was discussed on March 21.
posted on Mar 29, 2002 - View this thread

Controversial corpse exhibit, Körperwelten (Body Worlds), is set to display human corpses in London, UK in two days. UK health department concluded that the exhibit did not breach the 1984 Anatomy Act as the law did not cover the preservation of corpses by means of plastination, a technique invented by Professor Gunther von Hagens, the creator of the exhibit.
posted on Mar 21, 2002 - View this thread

Everybody needs some bodies sometimes. I know these have legitimate medical purposes, but don't you know someone who would love having this guy around the house, with his Multi-Sounds? And think of the fun to be had with Mr. Hurt Head or his friend Patient Peevy. Also fun at parties and not too expensive: A pound of fat, and, uh, this (washable).
posted on Jul 9, 2001 - View this thread

Skinless wonders... "Art or anatomy? An exhibition of flayed corpses in Berlin has been greeted with popular acclaim and moral indignation." They plastinate ("a vacuum process in which biological specimens are impregnated with a reactive polymer") and pose the bodies, which they get from various places, including a Siberian madhouse. The show is coming to Britain.
posted on May 20, 2001 - View this thread

Cool eyeball science Quick summary of interesting research on the output of the eyeball. 3 really cool things: 1, we know much more about the output of the eyeball now than a few years ago; 2, they've got a neural network doing visual processing like the eye; 3, most of what you see your brain makes up!
posted on Mar 28, 2001 - View this thread

Yes, you have two brains. It looks like your digestive tract is a huge "brain."
posted on Nov 6, 2000 - View this thread

Virtual Pig Dissection.
Requires Shockwave. Not for the faint of heart.
posted on Oct 16, 2000 - View this thread

This illustration of the human digestive tube is just one of the many joys of Gray's Anatomy (1918 Edition). "This 1,396-page ebook is divided into nearly 300 sections, with 1,247 illustrations (many in color and unchanged since the first edition of 1859) rendered in three different resolutions, and with an encyclopedic subject index comprising some 13,000 entries hypertext-linked directly to their respective pages in the text." And it's yours for free at bartleby.com. [via researchbuzz (a very cool weblog which deserves more attention)]
posted on Jun 12, 2000 - View this thread

Proof that you can find *anything* for sale on the web. If you ever need human bones, and your local human bone dealer is too far away, or closes early, use the internet to buy your bones!
posted on Oct 21, 1999 - View this thread