June 15, 2009 (Vol. 29, No. 12)

URL:
http://visiblehuman.epfl.ch

Rating:
Strong Points: Good instructions, easy to use
Weak Points: None

Summary:
The title to this site is fairly transparent—the webpage allows one to analyze the “visible human.” (You know, as compared to all of those invisible humans walking around.) Actually, these visible humans aren’t walking anywhere, as they are cadavers that were donated to science and cross-sectioned for our benefit. Using the dataset from the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project, this site through the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is unique in its interactive features. In addition to the standard viewing application, in which one can travel slice-by-slice through the body, there are applets that allow one to construct 3-D animation sequences, extract slices from the datasets, and navigate through the knee, to name a few. Some of the features require you to log in, but registration is fast and (more importantly) free. Getting under someone’s skin has never been easier or more enjoyable.

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