Frost Museum's 'Secret World Inside You' Will Make Kids Smile

MIAMI, FL — Frost Science Museum's new summertime exhibit: "The Secret World Inside You," promises to bring smiles to children all summer long as it opens on Memorial Day weekend. The exhibit takes us on a whimsical journey through the microbes that follow us in our daily lives, including those that cause smelly feet and even those found in belly buttons.

"Our very first exposure to microbes is at birth," said Frost Science Museum's Daniella Orihuela as she led one of the first tours of the exhibit ahead of the official opening. "None of us can be isolated from bacteria. None of us can. What this is highlighting, is how beneficial they are to us."

Presented by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, "The Secret World Inside You," was organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York with larger-than-life models, computer interactives, a high-tech video projection table, art installations and more. The exhibit runs from May 25 through Sept. 8.

Orihuela said she wants children and adults to come away with a better appreciation of why people need their microbiome — the vast community of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that call our bodies home.

"Every time you come in contact with anything you are exchanging bacteria," said Orihuela. "It's all about balance."

Too small to spot with the naked eye, many people think of microorganisms as germs that cause disease. But only a small percentage of microbes make people sick.

"Our microbiome makes us each unique in a very personalized format," she explained. "When we are developing in the womb, we are actually very isolated from our mother's microbiome. It's actually a very impressive system through the placenta that filters all microbes out."

She said babies get their first exposure to beneficial microbes as they are traveling through the birth canal. This helps build their immune systems. The exhibit features a tunnel that explains in detail how babies acquire their microbes.

"Another form is through breast milk," she said. "Babies born through a c-section don't get to have that same experience of having that first round of microbes from the mother. They get other microbes from the operating room."

A Frost Science presentation specialist engages audience members to explore microbe diversity and how our actions affect microbes while leading scientists discuss the evolving science of health and disease through videos presentations.

The exhibit is located inside the Hsiao Family Special Exhibition Gallery on the first floor of the museum. Admission is free with museum admission.

A Frost Science presentation specialist engages audiences to explore microbe diversity and how our actions affect these populations while leading scientists discuss the evolving science of health and disease via videos.

While visiting the exhibit be sure to leave enough time to explore the museum's three-level aquarium and observation deck with sweeping views of downtown Miami and the Port of Miami. The 500,000-gallon aquarium features mahi-mahi, devil rays, tuna and sharks.

The new microbe exhibit explains how our interactions with microbes can vary by the environment where we grow up and even the number of times we have taken antibiotics, which can destroy both bad and good bacteria.

"Bacteria actually on our skin, which is our largest organ in our body, eats oil, dead skin and really tries to keep that healthy balance for us," Orihuela said. "There is a beneficial aspect to bacteria being on our skin."

An immersive light and mirror display in the exhibit is intended to represent the trillions of microbes that have found a home in each and every one of us — more microbes than there are stars in the Milky Way, according to scientists.

Large-scale digital interactives explore where microbes live, how they affect our bodies, and what happens if our microbiome becomes unbalanced.

"I have a dog and my dog likely shares many microbes with me making my microbiome more diverse," Orihuela added. "I love my dog and I love it. Research shows that you are more likely to have a similar microbiome as people you live with, including dogs."

Click here for more information on the exhibit.