Give Heart Cells a Beat: Visitor Reactions

“Give Heart Cells a Beat,” is one of the most engaging science exhibits at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and it’s made possible through the museum’s scientific collaboration with experts at Gladstone Institutes. Through the exhibit, visitors get a rare window into the microscopic world of the beating human heart-and they are often awed to see that the cells on display begin beating in sync with their own heart. Written cues on the monitor encourage visitors to increase or lower their heart rate to see how the cells react, or to invite a friend to use the handlebars to compare heart rates.