This week on the blog, I wanted to take a step into our own squishy human bodies to find the answer to a curious question: Why is our heart on the left hand side of our bodies?
On the whole nature seems to favour a certain amount of symmetry: we have two eyes, two nostrils, two kidneys and two lungs and more, fanned out from a central line like a butterfly's wings. However for the organs that are alone in our bodies, we don't hold them necessarily down an equal line in the middle, but they tend to favour one side or another. For some organs, like the liver, some of it might be due to finding space, but what of the heart? With everything mirrored around it neatly, why is it that the majority of people have it on the left hand side, and the few rare exceptions have it mirrored on the right?
After a talented bit of research, The Harvard University Gazette explains that it may all be down to electrical attractions ....
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