((( Latest Protein Spotlight issue: at the heart of things )))
November 2014
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There is no life without a heart. And none without a beat. Which is
why the heart is one of the first organs to be formed - albeit in a
rudimentary fashion - very early on in life; as early as two weeks in
the human embryo which, at that point, bears little resemblance to a
human being. The heart is such a vital part of us that it has been a
symbol of life for millennia, as it has of love, because so many of
our emotions pass through it, either making it flutter, skip a beat or
beat faster. It is so central that a lot of time, thought and energy
is put into keeping a heart pulsing, be it during an operation or
following cardiac arrest. Some hearts are also born lazy, which can be
seriously disabling. Pacemakers are an answer to this, but they are
artificial so have their drawbacks. A biological alternative, however,
known as T-box transcription factor Tbx18, could prove to be
revolutionary in the near future.
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