With a heart that can pump six bath tubs of blood (i had seen on Modern Marvels this weekend that an average tube has about 50 gallons of water in it) around a circulation system that is 4,500 times as complex as our own and in only three heartbeats a minute, it has fascinated scientists as to how it manages this feat.

But it was while studying how the whale's heart is able to do this that scientists discovered nano-sized 'wires'. These wires allow electrical signals to stimulate the heartbeats even through masses of non-conductive blubber.

This discovery could be the key to replacing the traditional pacemaker. Instead of having to install a battery-powered pacemaker the whale 'wires' could be used to stimulate heart beats.
Whale 'wires' could save the extra bouts of surgery, which are currently needed to replace the batteries in pacemakers.

It doesn't end there. It also has the added bonus of saving money. With the world-wide market for pacemakers expected to reach $3.7 billion by 2010, this technology, which costs only a few cents to make, could replace pacemakers and save billions.

At Ohio's Cleveland West Reserve University Jeffrey Capadona has pioneered the creation of a material that could help treat Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal chord injuries.