Every bite of food we eat undergoes a complex and interconnected physical and chemical journey within our bodies—this is the human digestive system. It's like a highly automated biological factory: the mouth initiates the process through chewing (physical breaking down) and salivary enzymes (chemical decomposition); the esophagus handles transport; the stomach further breaks down the food through mechanical churning and a highly acidic environment; the small intestine is the core workshop, where digestive juices secreted by the pancreas and liver break down large nutrient molecules into smaller ones, which are then absorbed due to the large surface area; the large intestine recycles water, forming feces; and finally, the feces are excreted through the rectum and anus. Understanding this process is key to understanding how life obtains its energy and material basis from the outside world. Our interactive exhibit, "The Journey of Food," vividly and completely externalizes this hidden "b
