Illustrated BMI Categories, a Flickr project where you can see what "underweight," "normal," "overweight," "obese," and "morbidly obese," BMI categories look like on real people (safe for work) (mostly women). I think that many people would be surprised by what 180lbs looks like. In addition to not looking what you might have expected fat to look like, it may also not mean what you thought it meant: [more inside]
posted by Salamandrous on Oct 3, 2007 - 182 comments

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 by ilsa on Jun 24, 2004 - 4 comments

Scientists know that being fat reduces your lifespan, making you more susceptible to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other bad things. However they are only beginning to understand why. "Fat tissue is now recognized to be the body's biggest endocrine organ," producing 25 known signaling compounds and a variety of proteins.
posted by ilsa on May 12, 2004 - 37 comments

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 by goethean on Aug 19, 2003 - 3 comments

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 by argybarg on Jul 9, 2001 - 3 comments

Think your life sucks? This moron has spent his entire adult life growing his fingernails. It has cost him dearly. The hand is question is a misshapen claw. He has permanent nerve damage from the weight, resulting in permanent deafness in his right ear. But at least he's famous. (via joerogan.net)
posted by Optamystic on Dec 27, 2000 - 12 comments

Seven of every ten women appearing as centrefold models in Playboy magazine during the past 20 years are clinically underweight "Given the perception of Playboy centrefolds as culturally ideal women, the notion that 70% of them are underweight highlights the social pressure on women to be thin and helps to explain the high levels of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating," "It's not just a case of models getting skinnier, but also that the numbers of overweight and obese people have gone through the roof in recent years."
posted by lagado on Dec 11, 2000 - 21 comments