At the syndaver factory in Tampa, Florida, mad scientists are bringing bodies to life. Not Frankensteining the dead, but using a library of polymers to craft synthetic cadavers that twitch and bleed like real suffering humans. Hospitals and med schools use the fakes to teach anatomy and train surgeons, and the most lifelike model is the $95,000 SynDaver Patient. This exquisite corpse can be controlled wirelessly so practitioners can rehearse elaborate medical scenarios in which the patient goes into shock and even "dies." It's less messy, and a good deal longer-lasting, than real flesh and blood: As long as you keep buying replacement viscera, these bodies won't ever decay. But because they're 85 percent water, they must be submerged in a watery grave between uses to keep from drying out.
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