Researchers at the University of Auckland develop a pacemaker that synchronizes heartbeat and breathing, potentially aiding in the repair of damaged hearts.
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From Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, New Zealand's leading research institution, Ingenious is a podcast exploring how research from New Zealand is transforming the world for the better.
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From Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, New Zealand's leading research institution, Ingenious is a podcast exploring how research from New Zealand is transforming the world for the better.
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From Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, New Zealand's leading research institution, Ingenious is a podcast exploring how research from New Zealand is transforming the world for the better.
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From the University of Auckland, New Zealand's leading research institution, Ingenious is a podcast exploring how research from New Zealand is transforming the world for the better.
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Inside a recent episode
A pacemaker that could help the heart heal
Published 1 Dec 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] He'll have his own chapter in a minute, but for the time being, he'll speak for the fish. One's a nerve that accelerates the heart and the other one's a nerve that slows the heart. We also know that the activity in those nerves is modulated by a breathing cycle. And so that means that the heart rate goes up and down every breath you take. Specifically, the heart speeds up when we breathe in and slows down when we breathe out. Respiratory heart rate variability is particularly noticeable at night in children and in super fit athletes. Respiratory heart rate variability is completely absent in most people with heart disease. […]
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