Exploring mysteries of the body, in 3-D

Studying biology when we were in school would have been so much easier if BioDigital Human had been around. The site offers 3-D internal views of male and female bodies reminiscent of those Visible Man or Visible Woman models, but because it is interactive, you can also see through bones, organs, muscles and more.

Explore the systems of the body -- skeletal, digestive, urinary, reproductive, respiratory, endocrine, lymphatic, nervous, cardiovascular, ligament, muscular and integumentary (skin and hair) -- individually, or layer them as they would be in life. Use the dissecting tool to examine an area layer by layer. The standard view is opaque, but change to transparency to see the body in X-ray-like mode.

As you click on different areas, the name of the body part, as well as a small description of it, appears in the info panel box. There also is a list of "Conditions" in alphabetical order. Select one, and the part of the body involved with the ailment will be highlighted, and the info panel will describe it.

A couple of caveats: You must register (free) to use the site, which is compatible with Windows 7 or 8, or Mac OSX 10.6. The 3-D graphics are compatible with Firefox or Chrome browsers, but not with Internet Explorer. The basic site is free, but a premium subscription ($6 a month) has advanced interactive features.