MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Climb aboard a World War II German submarine. Plunge into a working coal mine. Take a tour of your digestive system. Control a 40-foot tornado. And this season, discover holiday traditions from around the globe and step into the world of the Peanuts gang.

Those experiences and more await you at the Museum of Science and Industry — the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. Home to more than 35,000 artifacts and hundreds of exhibits, there are enough "wow" moments to be had here to last a lifetime.

MSI, which opened in 1933, is housed in the only remaining building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The museum's Beaux Arts building was originally the expo's Palace of Fine Arts and displayed works of art from around the world. Now — through interactive exhibits, daily live science experiences, unique events and tours for all ages, and 3D theater adventures in the five-story, domed Omnimax — the inventive genius in you can explore the fascinating worlds of science, technology, medicine and engineering within the museum's 14 acres of space.

FEATURED EXHIBIT

Take an anatomical safari under the skin of some spectacular animals — from goats to giraffes and octopuses to ostriches — at MSI's newest exhibit, Animal Inside Out, 

Go in-depth to a degree that skeletons or taxidermy models just can't match. The collection of over 100 animal kingdom specimens have been preserved through the Plastination process so you can clearly see their inner working down from skin, flesh and bone to tissue, tendons and organs. Walking through several exhibit spaces, you'll see fascinating aspects such as:

• The specialized muscles of a bull's heart, allowing it to pump blood and nutrients to its massive body
• The incredibly dense and intricate system of capillaries that cover a horse's head
• The gangly structure of an ostrich, the largest bird of the avian world whose weight prevents it from taking flight
• The short thighs and bones of the lower leg that combine into one strong bone to make a rabbit's hind legs jump so sturdily
• The unique valves within the arteries of a giraffe's long neck which keeps adequate blood flow to the brain at just the right pressure when lowering its head

Between the full animal specimens, individual animal parts and select cross-sections, the exhibit is a revealing look at the different ways animals have evolved, adapting their anatomy and physiology as a way of survival. Open March 14 to September 2, 2013, this U.S. premiere of ANIMAL INSIDE OUT comes to MSI from anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens, inventor of Plastination science and creator of the trailblazing Body Worlds exhibitions.

PERMANENT EXHIBITS

Experiment with nearly 50 fun, cutting-edge interactive displays at YOU! The Experience while exploring what it means to live a vital, healthy life in the 21st century. Use your own heartbeat to make the museum's new 13-foot Giant Heart come alive; get moving on a human-sized Hamster Wheel that provides real-time feedback on your body's responses to aerobic activity; examine real human specimens that showcase the extraordinary complexity of the body; and much more!

Science Storms, a new, two-story exhibit, unravels the mysteries of physics and chemistry through recreations of nature's most powerful phenomena — tornados, lightning, fire, tsunamis, sunlight, avalanches and atoms in motion. Manipulate a 40-foot tornado and see the vapor whirling before you. Witness giant bolts of lightning crackling above. Trigger an avalanche using a 20-foot avalanche disk.

Among the many other permanent exhibit offerings, some of the most popular are:

• U-505 Submarine, where you can dive into the story of the only German U-boat captured during World War II, one of only five U-boats left in the world

• The Great Train Story, a model running 30-plus trains on 1,400 feet of winding track that journeys from Seattle to Chicago

• Coal Mine, where you descend the mine shaft, take a ride on the rails and learn the technology of coal mining

• Fast Forward... Inventing the Future, a rotating gallery that lets you experiment with cutting-edge innovations

• ToyMaker 3000: An Adventure in Automation, a real toy factory staffed by 12 moving robots and a 2,000-square-foot automated assembly line

• Earth Revealed, where you can experience the dynamic forces that are at work on a planet