By Nathan Siles | BioSpectral Systems
Every heartbeat brings together electricity, chemistry, geometry, movement and communication.
Muscle fibres twist. Valves coordinate flow. Mitochondria maintain electrochemical gradients. Blood interacts with the living surfaces of vessels. Signals travel between the heart, brain and body.
Calling the heart "just a pump" misses the bigger picture. In my view, it gives the illusion of pumping — contraction and relaxation are real and essential — but that illusion isn't the whole story of what the heart actually is or does.
In my biophysical framework, the heart is an organiser of circulation: a living interface between mitochondrial energy, electrical timing, fluid motion and nervous system regulation. Think of a river and its riverbed — you can describe the river by its current alone, but the shape of the banks, the mineral content of the water, and the life living along its edges are just as much a part of what the river is. The heart works the same way. Understanding it requires looking at how those processes work together.
The spiral matters
Spanish physician Francisco Torrent-Guasp developed the helical ventricular myocardial band model, proposing that the ventricular muscle could be understood as a continuous band folded into a complex spiral (Buckberg, Coghlan & Torrent-Guasp, 2001).
His work brought attention to an important question: how does the heart's architecture shape its movement?
The exact single-band interpretation remains contested. Modern anatomical investigations describe an interconnected, three-dimensional myocardial mesh with fibre orientations that change across the ventricular wall, rather than one uniquely separable ribbon. But the significance of helical organisation remains. The heart twists and untwists as part of its normal function.
That movement deserves a place in our understanding of circulation. Contraction, relaxation, recoil and ventricular filling belong to one coordinated cycle.
The spiral is part of the mechanism.
Blood moves through geometry
Blood does not move through the heart as a uniform stream travelling through a straight pipe. Rotating flow structures form within its chambers, including vortex rings during ventricular filling.
Researchers have investigated how those vortices relate to cardiac performance. A landmark study examined vortex formation as a potential indicator of cardiac health (Gharib, Rambod, Kheradvar, Sahn & Dabiri, 2006); subsequent work continues to refine its interpretation.
This supports a richer description of the heart as a structure that shapes and redirects moving blood.
It does not establish that vortices replace cardiac pumping. It shows that pumping in a living heart involves sophisticated fluid dynamics.
The familiar argument that the heart cannot move blood through “60,000 miles of tubing” also misses something fundamental: the vascular system is a branching network. Blood does not travel through every vessel in one enormous continuous tube — it's closer to a river delta than a single channel, splitting again and again until the flow reaches capillaries barely wider than a single blood cell.
The more useful question is how the heart and that network cooperate to distribute flow efficiently.
The mitochondrial landscape of the heart
Cardiac muscle is extraordinarily rich in mitochondria. Across mammalian species, they occupy roughly a quarter to a third of cardiomyocyte volume (Messerer et al., 2022; Hinton et al., 2024), reflecting the continuous energetic demands of both contraction and relaxation.
I describe mitochondria as organs of the cell because their significance extends beyond ATP production. They participate in calcium handling, redox signalling, metabolic coordination and cellular responses to stress.
Their physical organisation matters, too. Electron microscopy has revealed specialised contacts between cardiac mitochondria, including alignment of their internal membrane folds across neighbouring organelles. Experiments have also demonstrated coordinated changes in mitochondrial membrane potential within cardiac cells (Zorova et al., 2017). These findings give us concrete ways to investigate mitochondrial organisation and communication.
The heartbeat therefore depends on a densely organised cellular environment, with energy production and electrical stability closely connected.
Thirty million volts per metre: understanding the scale
Mitochondria maintain an electrical potential across their inner membrane. Measurements vary with the tissue, metabolic state and experimental method (Zorova et al., 2017).
For scale, a potential difference of 0.15 volts across five nanometres corresponds to an average electric field of approximately 30 million volts per metre.
That is a striking illustration of biology operating across extremely small distances — the kind of scale where a household AA battery's worth of voltage is compressed into a membrane thinner than a soap bubble's wall.
It is an electric field strength, rather than a thirty-million-volt charge. The voltage remains about 0.15 volts in this example. Nor can the membrane fields of countless mitochondria simply be added together to calculate a magnetic field extending metres outside the body by that arithmetic alone.
The significance lies in the organisation of charge across nanometre-scale membranes, where it supports the chemistry and energetics of life.
Water belongs in the picture
Mitochondrial respiration produces metabolic water when oxygen accepts electrons and hydrogen ions at the end of the respiratory chain.
Water is also the medium surrounding membranes, proteins, ions and the molecular machinery of the cell. Its interactions with those surfaces belong within a serious biophysical account of cardiac function (Zorov et al., 2024).
My framework asks how mitochondrial water production, hydration and molecular organisation influence the conditions that support a healthy heartbeat.
The deuterium content of metabolic water is a more specific question. It depends on the isotopic composition of substrates and the reactions involved. Describing all cardiac mitochondria as producing a known quantity of deuterium-depleted water would require measurements that establish that quantity and composition.
That is a research question worth defining precisely.
Mitochondria and biological light
Ultraweak photon emission is a real biological phenomenon. Research connects it with oxidative reactions and mitochondrial metabolism (Van Wijk et al., 2020). Experiments with isolated mitochondria have also reported effects consistent with possible light-mediated communication, while leaving its mechanism unresolved (Mould, Kalampouka, Thomas, Guy, Nunn & Bell, 2023).
This is one reason I am interested in mitochondria as potential participants in biological light signalling.
The important distinction is between detecting photons and demonstrating what those photons do. Establishing a coordinated optical signalling system in the living human heart requires further evidence.
For my framework, that distinction identifies the next experiment rather than ending the inquiry.
Full-spectrum light, indoors
If mitochondria are this sensitive to light, the spectrum of the light you spend your evenings under matters. The BioLux A19 Bulb is a hybrid incandescent + LED design built to publish a real broadband infrared spec (700–3,000nm+) alongside its visible light, rather than the blue-rich, infrared-absent spectrum of most household LEDs — a practical way to bring more of the full outdoor light spectrum indoors.
Flow speaks to the vessel wall
The vascular lining, or endothelium, responds to the movement of blood. Its surface includes the glycocalyx, a hydrated molecular layer involved in sensing mechanical forces (Foote et al., 2022).
Experiments show how these forces can activate endothelial nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide then participates in regulating vessel relaxation and vascular function.
Here is a powerful, measurable connection between movement and cellular signalling: flow changes the behaviour of the living surface through which it moves.
Laminar flow describes orderly movement in layers. Helical flow and vortices describe rotational patterns. These terms are related to fluid behaviour, but they are not interchangeable.
The relationship between flow, the glycocalyx and nitric oxide already offers a compelling picture of circulation as an active conversation.
The heart's field is real
Electrical activity in the heart generates a magnetic field that sensitive instruments can detect.
HeartMath describes detection up to approximately three feet from the body using sensitive magnetometers (McCraty, 2015). That's the figure that's been publicly published and peer-reviewed research hasn't gone further than.
My own view goes beyond that. Based on private measurements I've seen but haven't yet published, I believe the heart's field extends considerably further than three feet — out to six metres or more under the right conditions. I'm not alone in holding that view: other researchers working at the frontier of this field, including Dr. Thomas Cowan and Dr. Jack Kruse, have discussed similarly expanded pictures of the heart's electromagnetic reach. I want to be clear about what this is: it's my working hypothesis, built on observation and first-principles reasoning, not something mainstream peer-reviewed science has measured yet. I think the measurements will eventually catch up. Until they do, hold it as my conviction, not an established fact.
A toroidal blood vortex and a drawing of a toroidal electromagnetic field also describe different phenomena. Similar-looking geometry does not establish the same mechanism.
My interest is in asking precise questions about cardiac electrical activity, measurable fields and physiological coordination. The proposed connection needs to be tested at each scale, from membranes to cells to the whole organism.
Managing the field you live in
A real, measurable field around the heart doesn't mean every electromagnetic claim about the body is equally well established — but it's part of why I think about the broader electromagnetic environment we spend our days in. The BioSpectral Signal Shield Faraday Pouch is a simple way to reduce one source of that environment, your phone's own RF signal, when you don't need it reaching you.
A heart that communicates
The heart has its own intrinsic nervous system. These neurons participate in local regulation and communication with the wider nervous system. Recent research continues to investigate how these networks develop and acquire their specialised identities (Armour, 2008).
Calling this a “little brain” can communicate local processing, but it should not be taken to mean that the heart thinks or remembers as the brain does.
Emotion, breathing and autonomic activity influence cardiac rhythm. Those relationships are meaningful without claiming that love or grief is broadcast as a decoded magnetic message to everyone nearby.
In my framework, coherence means investigating coordination between breathing, cardiac timing, autonomic regulation and metabolic state. It is a physiological question with measurable components.
Supporting the wind-down
Autonomic coordination doesn't happen in isolation from the light you're under in the hours before bed. Luca Nero (Night) blocks the melanopic light that interferes with the evening shift toward parasympathetic calm, independently lab-tested at 99% melanopic blocking, so the signals your heart and nervous system are coordinating around aren't fighting a bright screen at the same time.
What the developing heart teaches us
Circulation begins before the heart has its mature four-chambered structure. That is different from establishing blood circulation before cardiac activity.
In a study of early mouse development, investigators detected heartbeat before measurable vascular blood flow — a heartbeat was first recorded at the 5-somite stage, with vascular blood flow following at the 7-somite stage (Ji, Phoon, Aristizábal, McGrath, Palis & Turnbull, 2003). The early tubular heart can generate directed flow even before mature valves exist.
Development therefore reveals how function emerges through changing geometry, movement and organisation.
The BioSpectral perspective
My proposed framework places the heart within an integrated biological environment: mitochondrial function, water, electrical activity, vascular surfaces, breathing, circadian timing and the nervous system.
Some relationships are well characterised. Others remain hypotheses that deserve clearly defined experiments — and I'd rather state those hypotheses with full conviction and let the science catch up than water them down to the point they say nothing.
That distinction strengthens the framework. It allows us to ask what changes, how it changes, and what we can actually measure.
The heart's complexity is already extraordinary.
It twists, recoils, conducts, senses, signals and sustains circulation. A biophysical understanding begins by studying those functions together.
Frequently asked questions
Is the heart really "just a pump"?
No — in my view, calling the heart "just a pump" gives the illusion of explaining it without actually describing the whole organ. The heart's helical muscle architecture, its mitochondria-dense cells, its electrical timing system, and its own intrinsic nervous system all shape how it moves blood. Pumping is real and essential, but it's one function among several, not the whole story.
What is the helical ventricular myocardial band, and is it accepted science?
It's a model developed by Francisco Torrent-Guasp describing the ventricular muscle as a continuous band folded into a spiral (Buckberg, Coghlan & Torrent-Guasp, 2001). The exact single-band interpretation is still debated among anatomists, but the underlying observation — that the heart twists and untwists as part of its normal contraction and filling cycle — is well established.
Do the vortices that form inside the heart replace the need for it to pump?
No. Research on vortex formation during ventricular filling (Gharib et al., 2006) shows that pumping in a living heart involves sophisticated fluid dynamics, not that vortices substitute for muscular contraction. The heart's pumping action and the fluid dynamics it creates are part of the same coordinated process, not competing explanations.
How much of a heart muscle cell is actually mitochondria?
Roughly a quarter to a third of a cardiomyocyte's volume is mitochondria (Messerer et al., 2022; Hinton et al., 2024), reflecting the continuous energy demand of a muscle that never fully rests. That density is also why cardiac tissue is especially sensitive to anything that affects mitochondrial function.
Can the heart's electromagnetic field really be detected several feet away from the body?
Yes — the heart generates a real, measurable magnetic field, and HeartMath Institute describes detecting it up to approximately three feet away using sensitive magnetometers. That's a genuine, instrument-measured finding, and the furthest distance published peer-reviewed research has confirmed so far. My own view, based on private observations and conversations with other researchers exploring this frontier (including Dr. Thomas Cowan and Dr. Jack Kruse), is that the field extends considerably further — out to six metres or more. That's my working hypothesis, ahead of what's been publicly measured, not an established finding.
What is the heart's "little brain"?
The heart has its own intrinsic nervous system — a network of neurons that handle local regulation and communicate with the wider nervous system (Armour, 2008). Calling it a "little brain" is a useful way to describe this local processing, but it doesn't mean the heart thinks, remembers, or reasons the way the brain does.
Does the heart start beating before blood actually flows anywhere?
In early mouse development, yes: researchers recorded the first heartbeat at the 5-somite stage of embryonic development, with measurable vascular blood flow only appearing at the 7-somite stage (Ji et al., 2003). This shows function can emerge in stages as the embryo's geometry and organisation develop.
How does blood flow actually affect the blood vessel lining?
The inner surface of blood vessels includes the glycocalyx, a hydrated molecular layer that senses the mechanical force of flowing blood (Foote et al., 2022). That sensing triggers the release of nitric oxide, which helps regulate vessel relaxation. It's a real, measurable conversation between movement and cell signalling.
References
- Armour, J. A. (2008). Potential clinical relevance of the ‘little brain’ on the mammalian heart. Experimental Physiology, 93(2), 165–176. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.2007.041178
- Buckberg, G. D., Coghlan, H. C., & Torrent-Guasp, F. (2001). The structure and function of the helical heart and its buttress wrapping. V. Anatomic and physiologic considerations in the healthy and failing heart. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 13(4), 358–385. https://doi.org/10.1053/stcs.2001.29957
- Foote, C. A., Soares, R. N., Ramirez-Perez, F. I., Ghiarone, T., Aroor, A., Manrique-Acevedo, C., Padilla, J., & Martinez-Lemus, L. (2022). Endothelial glycocalyx. Comprehensive Physiology, 12(4), 3781–3811. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c210029
- Gharib, M., Rambod, E., Kheradvar, A., Sahn, D. J., & Dabiri, J. O. (2006). Optimal vortex formation as an index of cardiac health. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(16), 6305–6308. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0600520103
- Hinton, A., Claypool, S. M., Neikirk, K., Senoo, N., Wanjalla, C. N., Kirabo, A., & Williams, C. R. (2024). Mitochondrial structure and function in human heart failure. Circulation Research, 135(2), 372–396. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.124.323800
- Ji, R. P., Phoon, C. K. L., Aristizábal, O., McGrath, K. E., Palis, J., & Turnbull, D. H. (2003). Onset of cardiac function during early mouse embryogenesis coincides with entry of primitive erythroblasts into the embryo proper. Circulation Research, 92(2), 133–135. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.res.0000056532.18710.c0
- McCraty, R. (2015). Science of the heart, Volume 2: Exploring the role of the heart in human performance. HeartMath Institute. heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/energetic-communication
- Messerer, J., Wrede, C., Schipke, J., Brandenberger, C., Abdellatif, M., Eisenberg, T., Madeo, F., Sedej, S., & Mühlfeld, C. (2022). Spermidine supplementation influences mitochondrial number and morphology in the heart of aged mice. Journal of Anatomy, 242(1), 91–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13618
- Mould, R. R., Kalampouka, I., Thomas, E. L., Guy, G. W., Nunn, A. V. W., & Bell, J. D. (2023). Non-chemical signalling between mitochondria. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1268075. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1268075
- Van Wijk, R., Van Wijk, E. P. A., Pang, J., Yang, M., Yan, Y., & Han, J. (2020). Integrating ultra-weak photon emission analysis in mitochondrial research. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 717. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00717
- Zorov, D. B., Abramicheva, P. A., Andrianova, N. V., Babenko, V. A., Zorova, L. D., Zorov, S. D., Pevzner, I. B., Popkov, V. A., Semenovich, D. S., Yakupova, E. I., Silachev, D. N., & Plotnikov, E. Y. (2024). Mitocentricity. Biochemistry (Moscow), 89(2), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0006297924020044
- Zorova, L. D., Popkov, V. A., Plotnikov, E. Y., Silachev, D. N., Pevzner, I. B., Jankauskas, S. S., Babenko, V. A., Zorov, S. D., Balakireva, A. V., Juhaszova, M., Sollott, S. J., & Zorov, D. B. (2017). Mitochondrial membrane potential. Analytical Biochemistry, 552, 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2017.07.009
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