Physiology in phylogeny: modeling of mechanical driving forces in cardiac development.

This article explores the heart phylogeny, the development of the heart from embryonic to adult shape. For the shape change from tubular to four-chamber to be initiated, a mechanical twist needs to be present in the embryonic heart tube. The helical shape of the muscle fibers in the embryonic heart is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the transformation to occur. It is also necessary for the excitation pattern to be in the form of a spatiotemporal wave. Such a combination, while producing twist, does not negatively impact the heart's ability to work as a pump.