LOS ANGELES, CA.- Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies and the California Science Center have extended opening hours to accommodate crowds of thousands, some waiting up to five hours. Body Worlds will now be open until midnight with last admission at 10:30 p.m., Friday - Sunday, during its last two weeks until January 23. Late IMAX screenings of The Human Body have also been added.

Real, preserved human bodies called plastinates are the exclusive attraction. The exhibit on display for the first time ever in the U.S. has drawn over half a million visitors and nearly 16 million worldwide. Despite rainstorms last week, over 50,000 people came to experience the exhibit firsthand. One visitor, Kenneth Lukaszewski who has been involved with dissections for over 25 years noted, "I feel that this is an important exhibition. It is not morbid or sensational. This presents an opportunity or the general public to experience what only a few in the medical world have; that is to see the power and majesty of the human body and to see the hand of the creator in each one of us."

Guests showing up to see the plastinates are taken by surprise when they encounter a multitude of real human bodies too, all lining up for Body Worlds. California Science Center President and CEO, Jeffrey Rudolph comments about the expanded hours, "We are thrilled to offer our guests an extended opportunity to learn about the human body and marvel at its elegance and complexity during the closing weeks of this exhibit."

Organizers recommend that guests purchase Internet tickets, available at http://www.californiasciencecenter.org and suggest visiting during the evening hours for a more undisturbed and pleasurable viewing experience. Visitor surveys reveal that numerous guests are visiting the exhibit three and four times. To accommodate the crowds, the Science Center opened on Christmas and New Year's Day. Body Worlds closes on January 23 and travels to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago where it will open in February.

The close of this exhibit welcomes Body Worlds 2, brought for the first time ever to the U.S. by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, creator of the Body Worlds exhibits and inventor of plastination. This is a brand new exhibit featuring all new specimens. Highlights of the second exhibit include, the "Suicide by Fat -- Obesity Revealed" specimen which shows fat tissue and how it damages vital organs; a "Cube Head" plastinate, which acts as a 3D puzzle showing us the density of the human head; and "Orthopedic Man," demonstrating a variety of surgically implanted orthopedic devices. Body Worlds 2 opens at the Science Center on January 29 and will run through March 27, 2005.