Independently beating Heart cells and ion channels

We may not immediately think of our heart as a collection of individual cells. But it is the complex interaction of numerous cell types that give the heart its ability to pump blood. Some cells form heart connective tissue, other cells grow into heart valves. And muscle cells give the heart its ability to beat and pump blood throughout the body. A single cell beats when a complex series of gates - called ion channels - open and close in an organized manner. Cell physiologists can measure how the...