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A Beating Fish Heart

Courtesy of Rachel Heuer

Following the Deepwater Horizons Oil Spill, oil entered the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and began to impact the animals living there. In order to understand exactly how the oil impacts adult fish, scientists removed the hearts of mahi-mahi and examined their muscle contractions at the cellular level. They discovered that even small amounts of oil negatively impacted the heart's performance.

Tags: Oil spills