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Dr. Gunther von Hagens, German anatomist and inventor of plastination, died on 24 July 2026 at age 81 in Heidelberg, Germany, following a cerebral haemorrhage on 23 July.
He invented plastination in 1977, a preservation technique replacing body fluids with liquid plastic for long-term anatomical specimen preservation.
He created the Body Worlds exhibitions, which began in Japan in 1995 and have been visited by more than 58 million people worldwide.
Von Hagens was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2008; his family said his body would be plastinated after death, per his long-held wish.
A preservation technique invented by von Hagens in 1977, in which body fluids and fats in a specimen are replaced with liquid plastic (polymers), allowing long-term preservation of anatomical specimens for research and public display.
Simple Analogy: Like replacing the water in a sponge with a hardening resin, so the sponge keeps its exact shape forever.
Static GK > Obituaries & Personalities
GS Paper III > Science Innovations
A technique replacing body fluids with liquid plastic to preserve anatomical specimens long-term