The biggest heart ever recorded by science –

Culturally, we are accustomed to understanding that a “big-hearted” person is a friendly, receptive, and empathetic person. However, when taken literally, the greatest heartbeat ever recorded and recorded in the scientific literature is far from that.

The holder of this title is Balaenoptera musculus, popularly known as the blue whale. Not only is it the largest animal seen on the planet, its internal organs have set amazing records for length and weight – drawing the attention of researchers around the world, who can rarely study hard-to-collect material.

One such opportunity arose in 2015, when a lifeless blue whale was found on a beach in Newfoundland, Newfoundland. Canada. Even with the tragic discovery, researchers at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) mobilized to dissect the animal as quickly as possible, seeking to collect as many organs as possible for studies.And As reported by the BBC at the time.

heart withdrawal

The collection process was impressive enough to gauge the size of the discovery; According to museum technology in zoology, Jacqueline Miller, only the opening of the thoracic cavity mobilized a team to enter the animal and perform the cuts, with the researcher specifically inserting the animal up to waist height.

“We need four people to push the heart through a ‘window’ that we open between the ribs and the side of the chest cavity. […] I was expecting to find a device the size of a car. But I think this core is about the same size as one of those golf carts.” Miller reported to the BBC.

After the body was exhumed, the heavy organ was transferred to a cloth whose ends were tied to serve as a sack, while the organ was taken to the local laboratory with gencho, being the first blue whale heart collected in time to be perfectly preserved with its original characteristics.

beat size

By measuring the weight of the main organ of the circulatory system, the record for the largest heart known to mankind was confirmed, reaching 180 kilograms. At the time of discovery, the researchers said the heart was still healthy.

Despite its size, the aorta, the main artery in the body, has a smaller surface area than expected by the team, with enough circumference to house a human head. To preserve the core, the scientists used 3,800 liters of formaldehyde to slow the decomposition and start the process to preserve the sample.

After collecting specimens for analysis in an anatomy course at Lincoln Memorial University, the organ was cataloged and displayed in a museum. Toronto, with his skeleton, which was carefully removed at the time of the rescue.