CAS President Lu Yongxiang, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, and President of the Max Planck Society (MPS) for the Advancement of Science Peter Gruss were present at the opening of an innovative multimedia exhibition held on August 3 in Shanghai. Entitled "Science Tunnel," the exhibition is co-sponsored by MPS, Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology and some other organizations.

Science Tunnel was shown for the first time during the World Exposition EXPO 2000 in Hannover; then as a traveling exhibition. It attracted more than two million visitors until 2004. In 2005, the exhibition was completely modernized with respect to content and technology and successfully started its international tour in Tokyo and Singapore.

In the comprehensive and futuristic Science Tunnel, visitors can move through 12 stations and learn more about the functions of microscopic elements of our world such as atoms, molecules, cells or tissues through to the largest structures in the universe.

On display are hundreds of large-format images and video clips from current projects from modern research areas, many of which have never been seen before, to provide visitors with a fascinating insight into the hidden worlds of the micro- and macro-cosmoses, and get a glimpse of the challenges that scientists are facing.

Accompanied by an audio guide, some of the challenges that the visitors will encounter include searching for the innermost components of matter, i.e., the building blocks of life, researching the causes of diseases, understanding how the brain works, looking into problems of human coexistence, assessing the future of the earth's biosphere, and finally researching the universe. Many of the exhibits are interactive, allowing visitors themselves to observe and discover what scientists explore.