The human heart is a vital organ which pumps blood around the body via our veins, capillaries and arteries. On average, the heart beats an impressive 2.85 billion times in a person's lifetime, continuously supplying our cells and tissues with nutrients and removing waste products from them. Explore a diverse range of articles on the heart and circulatory system in our latest news coverage below, including answers to questions such as what causes blood clots, the rarest blood type and why women are more likely to die from heart disease than men.
Discover more about the heart and circulation
—The human heart: Facts about the body's hardest-working muscle
—How many times does a heart beat in a day? What about in a lifetime?
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Rectal exam stabilized man's irregular heartbeatA man's sudden heart issue went away without the standard course of treatment.
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'Night owls' may have worse heart health — but why?Emerging evidence suggests that "night owls" are more likely to have poor heart health and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than "morning larks." Why is that?
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Man's autopsy reveals unexpected 'boomerang-shaped' structure in his heartA surprising autopsy marked the first time a bony, supportive structure was documented in an adult human heart, medical examiners reported.
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Men develop cardiovascular disease 7 years before womenMen's heart health tends to decline earlier in life, and the difference is driven largely by coronary heart disease, which appears roughly a decade sooner in men than in women.
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People with more 'brown fat' have healthier cardiovascular systems. A new study in mice may explain why.A mouse study shows that beige fat, previously known for its heating function, may also lower blood pressure by keeping blood vessels relaxed. The same may go for brown fat in humans.
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This 'marker' may be more predictive than cholesterol for heart diseaseC-reactive protein — a marker of inflammation — is as easily measured with blood work in a doctor’s office as cholesterol.
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Scientists are developing a 'self-driving' device that helps patients recover from heart attacksINTERVIEW Live Science spoke with Dr. Joe Alexander of NTT Research about "digital twins" and the development of an autonomous device for acute cardiac care.
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Heart attacks are less harmful at night. And that might be key to treating them.Controlling immune cells' internal clocks helped reduce inflammatory damage in conditions like heart attack and sickle cell disease, a mouse study found.
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Heart quiz: What do you know about the body's hardest-working muscle?Get pumped up — it's time to show off your knowledge about the heart.
