{
  "id": 7885178,
  "title": "BigHeart: Mapping connectivity in the adult human heart at the micron scale",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/bigheart-mapping-connectivity-in-the-adult-human-heart-at-the-micron",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.11.750845v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The human heart relies on the intricate coordination of various systems, including muscular, electrical, vascular, lymphatic, and neural components. However, the three-dimensional relationships among these systems have not been fully understood at the microscopic level throughout the entire organ. To address this knowledge gap, a research team employed hierarchical phase-contrast tomography to create a comprehensive, three-dimensional structural reference of an entire adult human heart. This technique allowed for the generation of a continuous image without the need for sectioning or staining.\n\nThe resulting dataset revealed the heart's hierarchical myocardial architecture, as well as quantitative orientation analysis that highlighted regional differences in the organization of myocardial cell aggregates. Furthermore, researchers were able to trace the atrioventricular conduction axis and identify a distinct subendocardial Purkinje network that interfaces with the working myocardium.\n\nAn integrated segmentation of the dataset demonstrated that coronary vessels, lymphatic collectors, and autonomic nerves occupy shared epicardial corridors. This publically accessible dataset integrates all cardiac systems within a common spatial framework, providing a valuable resource for anatomy, computational modeling, and future molecular atlases.",
  "summary": "The human heart depends on coordinated muscular, electrical, vascular, lymphatic, and neural systems, but their three-dimensional relationships remain unresolved at microscopic resolution across an intact adult organ. Using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography, we generated a continuous three-dimensional structural reference of a whole adult human heart at 8.01 micrometer isotropic voxel size,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}