When you think of pioneering medical breakthroughs, you usually don’t think of humpback whales. But, Mother Nature is chock full of medical compounds that can help doctors to treat, diagnose and even cure disease. In particular, scientists are turning to the sea for medical research, and their findings are inspiring some revolutionary new treatments.
Take the humpback whale for example. While this species has already earned our admiration with its majestic size, gentle demeanor and beautifully complex songs, their unique hearts are now the focus of scientists’ attention. Researchers believe that the humpback whale’s heart has a design that can be implemented into treatments for human heart disease.
The whale’s heart is amazingly complex – it can pump more than six bathtubs full of blood through a circulation system that’s 4,500 times more complex than our own. And if you thought your resting heart rate was good, think about this: the whale heart needs to beat only three times per minute. What makes the whales heart truly unique is the presence of “nano-sized wires”, which allow electrical signals to stimulate heartbeats through massive quantities of non-conducive blubber. Pacemaker pioneer Dr. Jorge Reynolds, who placed the first external pacemaker in the body of a priest who survived for an additional 17 years, made the revolutionary discovery.
Medical researchers are hoping that this discovery can help them to replace the traditional pacemaker. Implanting a battery-powered pacemaker is a complicated, short-term solution for a long-term heart problem. Additional surgeries are required to replace the batteries when they fail. Plus, the technology to produce pacemakers is very costly, with it expected to reach almost $4 billion in just a few years. By using “whale wires” to stimulate heart beats, extra bouts of surgery could be avoided, and it only costs a few cents to make. The potential savings through this technology could reach well into the billions. No word yet on when human or animal trials may begin.
Gunter Pauli, head of Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives (ZERI), told CNN that we need to rethink how we use nature to treat our medical problems. “This is a new look at therapeutics, but goes beyond the cure, it helps you rethink how nature deals with problems,” he said. But, he’s the first to admit that inexperience and lack of resources within the pharmaceutical industry make nature-based treatments difficult to fund. “Skepticism is often based on the fundamental novelty and the total lack of in-house expertise.”
There’s no doubt that nature has already designed solutions for many complicated problems. A substantial number of medicines, like penicillin and even simple aloe for skin irritation, are based on natural compounds. As we delve deeper into just what forces make nature tick, we’re bound to find more amazing discoveries in places small and large - from microscopic algae to the huge heart of a humpback whale.
