Carbon dating shows humans make new heart cells

April 3, 2009

Human heart cells that can generate cardiomyocytes in culture have been identified before. But how the heart regenerates naturally has been hotly contested, says Kenneth Chien of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge. “This study shows for the first time and very clearly that there is some turnover of cardiomyocytes within the lifetime of an individual.” It also lays to rest claims that heart cells turn over quickly, says Deepak Srivastava of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, California. (Nature News)