Exploring the Flawlessness of Nature: The Heart – A Miracle in Motion

Discover the astounding, flawless engineering of the heart, nature’s most exquisite machine

Musa Sattar, London, UK – Deputy Science Editor

Lub-dub, lub-dub…That steady beat belongs to the heart, a small yet powerful muscle working restlessly every second, every minute. We rely on it entirely – physically and even emotionally – though we often forget its quiet, tireless magic. Until something goes wrong, we may not notice this masterpiece of precision, tirelessly beating within our chests every moment of our lives. It’s more than just an organ; it’s a miracle of creation, perfectly engineered and intricately designed.

The human heart – a marvel of complexity and resilience – pumps life into us day and night, sending blood through an intricate web of vessels, nourishing every cell, tissue, and organ. Its flawless design continues to baffle scientists and engineers who attempt to replicate its intricate, tireless function.

As Dr Sian E. Harding, a leading expert in cardiac science and Emeritus Professor of Cardiac Pharmacology at Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute, remarks in The Exquisite Machine:

‘We can send a vehicle to explore Mars, hold the world’s knowledge in a phone in our hands, and genetically modify an embryo, but we have not yet been able to build a living heart.’

The heart isn’t merely a pump; it’s a symphony of cells, molecules, and energy, all working in harmony. It beats around 100,000 times daily, pumping 7,600 litres of blood through a vast network of vessels. But it does more than just keep time; it adjusts its pace to match our needs, whether we’re resting, running, laughing, or crying – a little powerhouse that never misses a beat and all without our conscious control.

The heart’s journey begins even before birth, often pumping as early as 22 days after conception, marking the start of its lifelong mission. Its cells are knitted into a strong, flexible pattern that allows it to contract and expand with each beat, pushing blood to every part of the body. This extraordinary organ has four chambers that fill and empty in perfect rhythm, gathering oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and sending it throughout the body. Each chamber functions like a room with one-way doors, or valves, that open and close precisely, creating the familiar lub-dub sound.

To fuel its constant work, the heart has a dedicated network of blood vessels, called coronary arteries, delivering fresh oxygen to keep it strong, like a garden watered by its own irrigation system. Such sophisticated design couldn’t be the result of chance; it reflects purpose and intelligence.

Unlike metal or plastic, this ‘natural machine’ is made of living cells – cardiomyocytes, packed with little molecular ‘power stations’ called mitochondria that provide energy for a lifetime of beating, almost like tiny batteries. With a highly defined structure, cardiomyocytes respond to rhythmic electrical excitation, generating the precise force to circulate blood around the body. These unique cardiac cells operate independently of the brain, setting their own rhythm. Within each cell, tiny power stations keep this rhythm going. Cardiac cells are packed with these mitochondria, giving them the strength and energy to beat non-stop for a lifetime. The Creator seems to have designed them for endurance, working tirelessly with no breaks.

The heart even generates its own electrical signals. A natural pacemaker, known as the sinoatrial node, initiates these signals, prompting each contraction in a perfectly timed sequence, like a conductor leading an orchestra. This electrical impulse system is so reliable that it continues whether we’re awake or asleep, a testament to the heart’s autonomous precision. Interestingly, due to their unique characteristics sinoatrial node cells are referred to as ‘biological chameleons’ for their amazing mimicking feature of brain neurons in an article published by Stanford Medicine.

At a microscopic level, each heartbeat is a ballet of ions and molecules that create electrical currents. Ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium move in and out of cardiac cells to create contractions, a process so precise that even a small imbalance can lead to an irregular heartbeat. It would be foolish to say that this mechanism is just a result of haphazardness.

CardioWest%E2%84%A2 temporary Total Artificial Heart 1

©Wikimedia Commons: JNakashima

An FDA approved temporary total artificial heart still in use today

Researchers have marvelled at this design for decades, and while we’ve created machines that mimic a heartbeat, nothing captures the effortless perfection of a real human heart. Such complexity hints at a Creator’s touch, a marvel of intelligent design.

Beyond its mechanical functions, the heart possesses its own ‘little brain’ – a finely tuned network of neurons called sensory neurites that send information directly to the brain. A healthy heart contains around 40,000 sensory neurites. The heart’s nervous system isn’t passively waiting for commands; it can respond and adjust based on real-time signals, acting independently when needed. This two-way communication between the heart and brain affects our emotions, decision-making, and overall well-being.

What’s even more remarkable is that the heart can adapt. When damaged, it works to repair itself, sometimes rerouting blood flow through new pathways. Our attempts to replicate the heart’s design have consistently highlighted just how remarkable it truly is. Each endeavour, full of innovative ideas, ultimately faces setbacks, leaving scientists humbled by the resilient natural engineering that makes our hearts so unique.

The Soft Total Artificial Heart, created in 2017 at ETH Zürich’s functional material lab, mimics a natural heart but lasts only 3,000 beats (30 to 50 minutes) in a hybrid mock circulation.

As the late president of the American College of Cardiology, Alfred Bove put it:

‘The God-given heart is a dynamically balanced, finely tuned organ, with the capacity to generate force, raise and lower pulse. It’s not possible to get that in an artificial heart.’

While science explains the intricacies of cardiac function, the Promised Messiah and the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) highlighted another crucial function that the heart plays in our life – sustaining our spiritual being. He said, ‘Just as the circulation of blood, which is absolutely critical in sustaining human life, is powered by the heart or qalb [the Arabic word for heart], in the same manner, all forms of spiritual advancement are dependent on the power of the heart. There are certain ignorant philosophers in this day and age, who attribute all positive advancement to the brain. However, such people do not realise that the brain only possesses the ability to weigh arguments and evidence. Although it is the brain that possesses the faculty of reflection and retention, the heart possesses a quality which moves it to the position of a chief. The mind follows a forced, mechanical process, while the heart is free of this and functions in an unforced, natural way. It is for this reason that the heart holds an affinity with the Lord of the Throne, and is able to determine the truth merely through its faculty of sense, without any evidence or proof.’[1]

God has given the heart a unique instinct, like an ant drawn directly to sweetness without needing proof. Just as the ant senses where to go, the heart senses truth and direction without needing logical analysis, and perhaps that’s why we say, ‘Follow your heart.’ The heart is directly connected to the divine, holding an inner wisdom that guides us, while the brain merely supports it with information. Those who seek inner purity understand that our true values and purpose are rooted in the heart’s deep, inherent sense.

The heart, though weighing less than a pound, is far more than a mere organ – it’s a masterpiece. Beyond pumping blood, it serves as the seat of emotions, love, and longing, inspiring poets and artists for centuries to capture its mysteries in words and melodies. Why? Because the heart feels what words often fail to express: the depths of love, the ache of loss, and the joy of connection. These emotions stir the soul and ignite creativity, making the heart a timeless muse. But its greatest fulfilment lies in a higher purpose. As the Holy Qur’an beautifully remind us: ‘Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort’ (13:29). In seeking the Divine, the heart finds not just inspiration but true tranquillity, completing its role as both a physical and spiritual marvel.

1200px Artificial hearts Palais de la decouverte IMG 6909 gradient 1

In 2024, BIVACOR created a Total Artificial Heart made of titanium, which is powerful enough to sustain a person during exercise without the need for flexible chambers or a pumping diaphragm.

Amazingly, the miracle of the heart extends beyond humans. From giraffes, with hearts that work against gravity to pump blood up their long necks, to whales with hearts large enough for a human to swim through, and tiny hummingbirds with hearts beating up to 1,200 times per minute, each heart is adapted to its creature’s unique needs, whether it’s keeping up with a gazelle’s speed or pumping in the icy depths of the ocean. Every heart testifies to the wisdom of the Perfect Creator.

Artificial hearts can pump blood but lack the resilience, sensitivity, and self-adjusting intelligence of a real heart. Our most advanced machines fall short, showing us that there’s a mystery, a magic, in the natural heart that science has yet to unlock.

Strong yet fragile, it’s a reminder of the Creator’s wisdom, a masterpiece designed with purpose. It has a powerful role that awes both scientists and anyone who feels its beat. And as long as it beats, it stands as a tribute to the perfect engineering that only a Supreme Creator can engineer.

As in chapter 23, verse 79 of the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty reminds us, ‘And He it is Who has created for you ears, and eyes, and hearts; but little thanks do you give.’

ENDNOTES

1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat – Vol. II (Farnham, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2019), 119.

Further Reading:

Sian E. Harding, The Exquisite Machine: The New Science of the Heart (MIT Press, 2022).

Reinhard Friedl, The Source of All Things: A Heart Surgeon’s Quest to Understand Our Most Mysterious Organ (St Martins Press, 2021).

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2797-4

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3377117

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-019-0167-4

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230712/New-heart-cell-atlas-reveals-detailed-structure-of-the-human-heart.aspx

https://academic.oup.com/ejcts/article/27/2/191/475859

https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjha.2021.15.2.72

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.045401