Exhibit lasts until May 8

“The exhibits are disgusting...and fun. I like things that are disgusting and fun.” 

That’s nine-year-old Anna Jaeger’s reaction to the exhibition that’s open now at the St. Louis Science Center. It’s entitled, “Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body.” The program will run until May 8.

The exhibit explains all about the “sticky, slimy, crusty, smelly and downright gross” things that happen naturally in the human body. And it explains how these things help to keep us healthy. 

Consider Nigel Nose-It-All. He’s a nine-foot automated figure who has a large snot ball hanging from his faucet nose. 

If that isn’t gross enough, there’s always the Y U Stink exhibit. There, kids can push buttons that let them smell odors from the armpits, lower intestines, mouths and feet.

Or maybe you’d like the Vomit Center. That’s a model that tells the many reasons we vomit when we’re sick.

Tracie MacPherson is the exhibit coordinator for the Science Center. She says the displays have been a big hit with both kids and adults. Over 14,000 people attended the exhibit during an eight-day period around the Christmas holidays. 

MacPherson said the exhibition has a serious purpose also. “Remember, kids do all of these things. But, they don’t know why they do them. And, they don’t know that these are necessary things to protect their health.”

The Science Center appearance marks the first American exhibition for “Grossology.” It was developed by the Vancouver Science Center in Canada. It is based on the book, “Grossology,” and includes 15 different exhibits.

Anna Jaeger is a fourth grader. She liked the 30-foot, 3-D model of a person’s digestive system, from the mouth to the large intestine. Kids get to slide through the fiberglass intestine. 

Another favorite was the climbing wall, which was a model of the surface of the human skin. Some of the climbing stations include cuts, warts and scabs. 

Anna also liked an interactive book that showed how the skin can be damaged. “I like the page where you lift up a Band-Aid and you get to see pus,” she said. 

Nine-year-old Gregory Eric Walker was with a group of 12 kids from Bethel Lutheran School who were on a field trip. He especially liked the stomach display “because it helps me understand how the stomach works.” 

But, he added, “I had a whole bunch of fun with all the things here.” 

Eleven-year-old Daniel Jones of Wentzville also was with a school tour. 

He said, “I liked to play the computer games.” There were computers where kids could play “yucky” games. They also could take a multiple-choice trivia quiz about the gross things the body does.

Then there’s the “burp man.” He drinks from a three-foot can of soda and then burps when he gets too much gas in his stomach. 

There’s also a walk-through nose. If too many kids get inside the nose, it lets out a big sneeze. 

For some people, “Grossology” may sound....well, gross. Adults might seem to be the ones most likely not to like it. 

However, one of the Science Center guides said, “The kids really like it. And the adults do too. That makes it even better.” 

For Anna Jaeger, the trip to “Grossology” was a reward from her mother for her getting all A’s and B’s in school. 

If you want to learn more about the exhibition, you can log on to the Grossology website (www.grossology.org) or the St. Louis Science Center website (www.slsc.org).