The MRI experiment endures because it sits at a “rare intersection of intimacy, curiosity, and scientific correction.” In the early 1990s, MRI machines were seen mainly as cold diagnostic tools, not as ways to study everyday human processes. Ida Sabelis and her partner Jupp took part not for attention, but to answer a genuine scientific question and challenge long-held assumptions.

The experiment itself was far from romantic. Early MRI machines were cramped and slow, forcing participants to remain still in awkward positions. The setting was described as “unglamorous, almost awkward,” shaped by technical instructions rather than intimacy. This helped frame the study as serious science, not spectacle, with a clear aim: to “replace assumption with evidence.”

The scans revealed something unexpected. For centuries, anatomy textbooks—shaped by Renaissance-era drawings—depicted the vaginal canal as mostly straight. The MRI images instead showed curvature and adaptability, challenging beliefs that had gone unquestioned for over 500 years. The body appeared dynamic, not static, reshaping how anatomy was understood.

When published in the *British Medical Journal*, the study became “one of the journal’s most widely read pieces.” Its impact came not from shock, but from showing that even ordinary aspects of the body still hold unanswered questions.

Looking back, Ida emphasized the ordinariness of the experience. The study’s legacy lies in its quiet reminder that knowledge evolves, and that careful observation can correct even the oldest misconceptions.