As layers of a digitally scanned cadaver peel away before their eyes, nervous teenage giggles and astonishment morph into curiosity and fascination — as about two dozen high schoolers lean into hands-on lab activities while visiting Toronto Metropolitan University's new School of Medicine in nearby Brampton, Ont.

Within minutes, the co-op students from Peel District School Board (PDSB) are adeptly swiping the screens of several virtual dissection tables — imagine long, table-sized computers — to rearrange the 3D models, zooming in on bones and muscles.

"You can discover where the fibula is and you can look around. You can turn the bodies," 16-year-old Yashita Singh explained in an excited rush.

"You can like go through skin … layer by layer and you can dissect them, which is really co

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