Evolution: a different view of heart design (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, August 22, 2020, 22:53 (1553 days ago) @ dhw

The inside of the left ventricle is corrugated with muscle bundles humped up into the cavity, known for 500 years, but only now explained. Smooth is not good, but this design is ideal in pumping blood:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200819110925.htm

"The study, published in the journal Nature, sheds light on questions asked by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago, and shows how the shape of these muscles impacts heart performance and heart failure.

"In humans, the heart is the first functional organ to develop and starts beating spontaneously only four weeks after conception. Early in development, the heart grows an intricate network of muscle fibers -- called trabeculae -- that form geometric patterns on the heart's inner surface. These are thought to help oxygenate the developing heart, but their function in adults has remained an unsolved puzzle since the 16th century.

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"The research suggests that the rough surface of the heart ventricles allows blood to flow more efficiently during each heartbeat, just like the dimples on a golf ball reduce air resistance and help the ball travel further.

"The study also highlights six regions in human DNA that affect how the fractal patterns in these muscle fibers develop. Intriguingly, the researchers found that two of these regions also regulate branching of nerve cells, suggesting a similar mechanism may be at work in the developing brain.

"The researchers discovered that the shape of trabeculae affects the performance of the heart, suggesting a potential link to heart disease. To confirm this, they analyzed genetic data from 50,000 patients and found that different fractal patterns in these muscle fibers affected the risk of developing heart failure. Nearly five million Americans suffer from congestive heart failure."

Comment: Unfortunately we do not have fossilized hearts to see if this degree of design efficiency was present at the beginning of pumping hearts or developed over time. I think God designed this pattern from the beginning.