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Our heart carefully controls the movement of blood through its different parts by using valves that open and close. Like gates, these valves slam shut and make a sound! One pair of valves close to make the “lub” sound. Then another pair of valves close to make the “dub.” Blood can make heart sounds, too, but it’s more like a hiss or a whisper.

True! An octopus has three hearts in total: two hearts to send blood to their gills (where it picks up oxygen) and one heart to send this oxygen-rich blood to the rest of their body. We get by with a single heart because it is split into left and right sides. The right side of our heart sends blood to our lungs to pick up oxygen while the left side sends oxygen-rich blood to our body.

You might have heard that a cardiologist is a heart doctor or that cardiology is the study of hearts. “Kardia” is the Greek word for “heart” that inspired all of these words, including cardioid. An octagon has eight sides like a stop sign, a rhombus is a 4-sided shape with sides of equal length. The Witch of Agnesi is a smooth hill shape studied by mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi back in 1748.

We know from archaeologists that ancient Egyptians believed the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony happens after a person dies. The feather comes from the goddess Ma’at, who was often shown as a woman with wings. Like Ma’at, the feather represents truth and justice. If your heart weighs less than the feather it means you lived a good life.

The chemicals in smoke damage your heart, so not smoking is a great choice. Exercise is good for your heart muscle, helping it stay strong and healthy. Scientists have noticed that people who get enough sleep have fewer heart problems. Primary school kids need around 9-11 hours of sleep whereas teens need around 8-10 hours.