For centuries, composers have aimed to replicate the natural world in music. Examples include Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Gustav Holst's "The Planets."
Three University of Kentucky (UK) researchers are exploring the application of music to the internal workings of human cells through a method called data sonification. The research received funding from the Office of the Vice President of Research (OVPR) Igniting Research Collaborations program and the OVPR and UK International Center's UKinSpire program.
Data sonification translates data points, such as gene sequences, into musical elements like melody, pitch, rhythm, and timbre. The concept originated in the lab of Luke Bradley, Ph.D., acting chair of the College of Medicine's Department of Neuroscience, who observed patterns in protein sequences.
Bradley consulted Michael Baker, Ph.D., a professor of music theory and composition, and Timothy Moyers, Ph.D., an associate professor of music theory and composition and electronic music composer, both from the School of Music.
Cellular Applications
Bradley describes a cell as a "symphony" where dissonance indicates disease. Moyers noted that ears can be more sensitive to subtle data changes than eyes, suggesting the value of auditory data interpretation. The sounds generated from cellular data points do not exclusively have to be music.
The research team is collaborating with Cambridge University researchers who have developed visual models of cancer genomics. The UK team has built a parallel research engine that sonifies different types of cancers to produce distinct sounds. This allows for the identification of specific cancer types, similar to how different trumpet mutes alter a sound.
Educational and Artistic Uses
Data sonification also functions as an educational tool. It was initially used to illustrate the concept of a mutation and its effects on cell function to middle and high school students. Baker suggested it could act as a "what-if generator," allowing students to manipulate data points and hear the resulting changes in the cellular symphony.
Moyers is exploring artistic applications, using data set samples to create audio for performances and creative purposes, viewing it as a compositional collaboration with data.
Astronomical Discoveries
Data sonification has also been applied in astronomy. Astronomers use the harmony of planetary rotational speeds to compare exoplanets to those in our solar system. For example, in 2017, the Trappist 1 system, a red dwarf star with seven planets, was found to exhibit an Earth-like harmony in its planetary rotational speeds. The planets' orbital speeds created an overtone series, where each successive inner planet rotated at a multiple of the outermost planet's speed.
This method, which began as a theoretical question, is developing into a diagnostic and educational tool, with future applications anticipated.