This animation provides an overview of the structure and function of the human heart.

The heart is an organ that pumps blood throughout the circulatory system, supplying cells with oxygen and nutrients. As shown in the animation, the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs and oxygenated blood returning from the lungs to the rest of the body.

This animation is a clip from a 1998 Holiday Lecture Series, Of Hearts and Hypertension: Blazing Genetic Traits. Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different structures.