Technically speaking, is the heart living, or is it just a "helpful organ"?

Question

So it's not technically "living"?

Answer 1

Heart tissue is living tissue - if some of it dies, such as after a heart attack, then the whole organism is in trouble. But it also depends on other organs to support it - it needs food, oxygen to continue living. But it helps the other organs by circulating the blood so that nutrients and oxygen can be distributed to them.

So the answer is that it is BOTH - it is living tissue and a helpful organ!

Answer 2

All cells in the body are living! Specialized or not, they perform metabolic activities, such as aerobic respiration, protein synthesis, lipid transformation...etc. The heart is a muscle; it is made up of cells which form the fibres forming the heart muscle, and is therefore "living". The heart muscle (the cardiac muscle) is the most active muscle within the body, and throughout life. It works continuously for the entire lifetime without getting fatigued or strained! The heart is also myogenic, which means it is self exciting. Cardiac muscle cells show continuous rhythm of excitation (electrical) on their own, although this can be changed/affected by nervous or hormonal stimuli (e.g. adrenaline).

Answer 3

If by "living" you mean that it can exist and function on it's own, that it shows the seven traits of living organisms, then no. It is definitely not "living". It is however, as others have already pointed out, made of living tissue: cells that are considered "dead" when they can no longer metabolize, divide, or any of the other nifty abilities they have that keeps your heart beating.

Answer 4

"Helpful organ" is an understatement. It's is living tissue because in the case of cardiac arrest a piece of heart tissue can die, thereby decreasing heart function. It's not a living entity on it's own, no. But something can't die if it was never living.

Answer 5

Its most important vital organ after brain and liver,,,,
heart encompasses SA (sino auricular)node, AV (auriculo ventricular) node ,,, perkije fibres,,, bundles of his,,,,,,,,
it is made up of cardiac muscles,,,,, which never takes a rest,,,,,
but doctors declared patient as a dead body when his or her brains stops functioning becoz once brain expire no one can make urs brain alive,,,,, but once heart beats stops,,,,,, it can be again starts beating,,, though it is important organ after brain and liver ,,, hence it is helpful organ to survive

Answer 6

A "helpful organ"? Can you give examples of other "helpful organs"? This is a bizarre question.

Answer 7

It is composed of living cells. Can something non-living be composed of living matter?