By admin 
Starting on Oct. 2, Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium will host the touring exhibition “Bodies – The Science Within.” The exhibition, which will run until Nov. 29, features cadavers and full body specimens preserved to display the interaction of the human body’s bones, muscles, respiration and nervous systems.
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“Bodies – The Science Within” is a production of Aurea Exhibitions, a company that organizes traveling exhibitions on famous artists, dinosaurs, and history. “Bodies – The Science Within” has toured in Central America, South America, and Europe, and it made its North American debut in Denver earlier this year.
It is one of several traveling shows that display human specimens for educational purposes. The most famous of these shows, “Body Worlds,” debuted in 1995 to controversy and fascination.
“Bodies – The Science Within” is not affiliated with “Body Worlds.” However, the specimens on display were preserved with plastination, a technique invented by Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist behind “Body Worlds.”
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Former exhibits such as “Body Worlds” attracted controversy due to the uncertain origins of many of the bodies on display, with allegations that some cadavers belonged to prisoners or the homeless.
According to an official press release, the specimens used for “Bodies – The Science Within” were provided by organizations “that certify that the bodies were donated for scientific and educational use and were not obtained through coercion, criminal activity, or unethical practices.”
The exhibit’s lessons in anatomy include explanations of bodily functions and why, for example, one lung is larger than the other in humans.
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After the exhibit leaves Sacramento it will move on to Spokane, Washington.
Bodies – The Science Within
Friday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Nov. 29
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J Street
Tickets: $24 for adults, $20.50 for seniors and veterans, and $12 for children.
This story was originally published August 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM.