The way a jellyfish swims can be compared to how a human heart beats — at least that's what Harvard bioengineering professor Kit Parker thought when he took his daughter to the aquarium years ago.

"So, I'm looking at these jelly fish swimming, and my daughter's a toddler then. She's, like, running around," Parker said. "And I'm thinking, 'Wow, so that thing beats just like the heart, and it's small enough — I bet I could build that.'"

Parker is one of the researchers behind a bio-hybrid robotic fish powered by human heart cells. He hopes the project can help researchers learn more about the human heart and, eventually, create an artificial heart one day.

"Ultimately, our goal is to build a heart for a child born with a malformed part," Parker said. "We learned a lot. We learned now about how to build muscular pumps with human cardiac biophysics, build a fish out of human cells and how to keep them alive for a long time."

Researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University recently released new research on what they say is a living robot, called xenobots. The bio-hybrid fish also fall under the living robot category.

But unlike xenobots that keep evolving, the bio-hybrid fish have been destroyed. Parker says we won't see them again, and they were solely used as a training tool.

He plans to continue his research into building a successful artificial heart.

A new wave of pollution is littering our streets and shores, disposable face masks and plastic gloves.

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has surged around the world, with one study estimating a monthly usage of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves globally.

"The amount of PPE we're finding, even just anecdotally walking through our streets, is astounding," said Alex Ferron, Chapter Chair of the San Diego Surfrider Foundation.

Making matters worse, the pandemic has impacted some of the traditional methods used to tackle pollution.

Last year, Surfrider San Diego's beach clean-ups removed more than 16,000 pounds of trash from the coastline. But with social distancing laws, the nonprofit fears that number will be drastically lower in 2020.

"Plastic pollution hasn't stopped. Plastic is being used, if not more than ever," said Ferron.

The French nonprofit Opération Mer Propre is documenting PPE waste in the Mediterranean Sea, sharing videos and pictures of gloves and face coverings littering the seafloor.

Ferron says the pandemic also reversed other progress made by environmental groups.

"Initially, we saw a big trend away from reusable items at all, my coffee shop wouldn't take my mug, my grocery store wouldn't take my bag."

Ferron says she was OK with this safety precaution early on because little was known about the virus.

But now, she points to some of the latest CDC information, which says COVID is mainly spread from person-to-person, within close contact. Transmission through contaminated surfaces has not been documented.

A health expert statement signed by over 100 scientists around the world stated that reusable systems could be used safely by employing basic hygiene.

To try and tackle the problem, Surfrider San Diego launched a solo cleanup campaign, encouraging individuals to clean old and new waste polluting our communities.

"Empower people to go out and pick up trash. In their neighborhood, in their parks, at their local beach, wherever they feel comfortable, and do their part," said Ferron.

The nonprofit has guidelines on how to do this safely, urging people to wear a mask, use reusable gloves, and a trash grabber if possible. Also, they say to bring two bags to separate PPE from recyclables.

Those who can't get out and clean can do their part by making sure their PPE ends up in a trash can and not the ground.

Ferron says whether or not you live near a beach, you can make a difference.

"It's not just an ocean issue, it's an environment issue," Ferron said.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. —

It's common to see some jellyfish wash up on Georgia beaches, but how about thousands of them?

On Friday afternoon, Jodi Moody spotted what she calls a "jellyfish jamboree" on the north end of Tybee Island, facing Hilton Head Island.

She said they were all cannonball jellyfish in a full range of sizes.

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According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, cannonball jellyfish are by far the most prominent species of jellyfish on the southeastern coast of the United States. The good news is they are one of the least venomous.

During the summer and fall, the GADNR says they are found to be incredibly abundant along the coastline.

Moody said the wind was strong the day she spotted them, so she believes that's what caused them to wash up. She estimates that the jellyfish covered about 200 feet of the shoreline.

Moody, who is from Wilmington Island, said she's never seen anything like this before.

Take a look at the "jamboree" in the video player above.