(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-08-23)
Herndon, Conner J.
This thesis explores the electrical dynamics of the heart, and in particular, the mechanisms that underlie cardiac arrhythmia, their variability across and within species, and the impact they may pose as a selective pressure. As a living system, we can study the heart and its electrical activity through perspectives ranging from subcellular processes to the evolutionary trajectories of entire species. With broader consideration of interrelated components and their implications on all scales, we are armed with context. In this thesis, I examine the contextual significance of cardiac arrhythmia. My main contributions fall within three categories: (i) the development and improvement of experimental techniques, (ii) the strength of cardiac arrhythmia as a selective pressure, and (iii) a symbiotic partnership between comparative physiology and nonlinear dynamics.