Credit: iStock Have you ever wondered why some days climbing a flight of stairs feels easy, while other days it leaves you out of breath? Your muscles matter, but so do your blood vessels. Think of your blood vessels as highways that carry oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Blood vessels need to be able … Continue reading Can Beetroot Juice Help Your Blood Vessels Stay Healthy?
Cardiovascular System
Aging Well: Is Your Heart’s Pumping Power the Secret?
Credit: iStock I recently heard a talk at the 2026 American College of Sports Medicine national meeting describe a case that quietly rearranged how I think through aging physiology. Researchers studied an Olympic rower throughout his 20-year career. During this time, his maximum heart rate fell by about 20 beats per minute, which is the … Continue reading Aging Well: Is Your Heart’s Pumping Power the Secret?
Why Do Your Hands Get Cold When You’re Stressed?
Credit: iStock/pepifoto You’re about to speak in front of a crowd or maybe waiting for something that matters more than you’d like to admit. Without warning, your hands grow cold. It feels small, almost trivial, but it is one of the clearest expressions of your body reorganizing itself. Your body interprets stress as a potential … Continue reading Why Do Your Hands Get Cold When You’re Stressed?
How a Swallow Slows the Heart
Credit: iStock/courtneyk Like many dads, I love a little reading time with my 3-year-old before bed. Because of my work, my son and I talk about “heart beeps,” as he calls them. One night, he asked if I wanted to hear his heart beep. I said yes and laid my head on his chest. Doing … Continue reading How a Swallow Slows the Heart
How Ocean Tides May Influence Heart Rhythms
Credit: iStock/baona Just as ocean tides rise and fall under the pull of the moon and sun, scientists are discovering that gravitational changes can affect our hearts in subtle ways. We caught up with Guadalupe Rodríguez Ferrante, PhD, who presented her work at the 2026 American Physiology Summit, to learn more about this intriguing topic. … Continue reading How Ocean Tides May Influence Heart Rhythms
Not Just a Pump: How Your Heart Talks to the Rest of Your Body
Credit: iStock/pepifoto When we learn about the heart in school, it’s usually described as a pump: strong, steady and rhythmic. That’s true. But what fascinates me most, as a physiologist, is that the heart is also a communicator, constantly exchanging messages with your brain, kidneys, muscles and blood vessels to keep your body balanced, safe … Continue reading Not Just a Pump: How Your Heart Talks to the Rest of Your Body
Beyond the Bugs: Could Chemicals from Microbes Help Lower Blood Pressure?
Credit: iStock/Elena Istomina Did you know that the trillions of bacteria residing in your gut actively influence one of the most critical numbers in your life: your blood pressure? For a long time, scientists mainly looked at genetics, diet and lifestyle as the key reasons behind high blood pressure. While these factors are important, there’s … Continue reading Beyond the Bugs: Could Chemicals from Microbes Help Lower Blood Pressure?
Alcohol and Health: Why It’s Not as Simple as One Drink a Day
Credit: iStock The mulled wine and apple cider at your local holiday market weren’t the only things brewing this holiday season. A heated debate is on about whether you should avoid alcohol completely or if you should drink small amounts for a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of … Continue reading Alcohol and Health: Why It’s Not as Simple as One Drink a Day
Gone Fishing for Signals in the Gut-brain Connection
Credit: iStock Zebrafish is a small tropical freshwater fish, named for their zebra-like stripes. Though tiny, this little fish plays a big role in biomedical research. It might surprise you that humans share about 70% of their genes with zebrafish. This makes the fish a powerful model for studying health and disease. Meet the zebrafish … Continue reading Gone Fishing for Signals in the Gut-brain Connection
The Top 10 Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts of 2025
Credit: iStock This year marked the 10th anniversary of the I Spy Physiology blog! In a year of great challenge to science funding, talking about the value of science has never been more important, and our contributors understood the assignment. They’ve shared their stories about becoming a science advocate and transitioning from mentee to a … Continue reading The Top 10 Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts of 2025