Watch a watermelon wrapped in rubber bands explode in slow-motion. (CBS News) Have you ever wondered if you could cause a watermelon to explode by wrapping a ton of rubber bands around it? And have you additionally wondered what that explosion would end up looking like in super slow-motion? The answer to both questions is probably not, but it's very cool to watch happen anyways.
The valves keep blood moving through the heart in the right direction. The mitral valve and tricuspid valve are located between the between the atria (upper heart chambers) and the ventricles (lower heart chambers).
There are also two semilunar valves; one between the right ventricle and the lungs (pulmonary semilunar valve) and one between the left ventricle and the aorta (aortic semilunar valve). The main purpose of the valves is to prevent backflow of blood in the heart. There are things called the chordae tendinae and papillary muscle that help control the opening and closing of the valves as blood flows through them. There are also valves in the veins.