DNA music

Susan Alexander’s fascinating DNA music

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DNAJill Mattson – Again, a scientific team measured four base DNA molecules: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. Each molecule after being subjected to light, yielded about 15 or 18 frequencies; 60 in all. These notes could not be found on our pianos.

The tuning system on ordinary keyboards is an artificial one, based on and adapted from the natural harmonic series. Around the time of J.S. Bach, equal temperament as a favored tuning system came into being to solve the problem of modulating through different keys. (Bach did not entirely welcome it. Its sound was inferior to the sweet concordances of just intonation). Continue reading →

DNA set to music

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soundJill Mattson – This week we are going to explore DNA set to music…What a fascinating idea!

Biologist, Dr. David Deamer, measured the vibrational frequencies of the four DNA molecules and translated them into sound. Susan Alexjander’s web site, “Our Sound Universe,” describes this DNA music. I will summarize some of her information here!

A team “collected” frequencies from the bases of DNA with a spectrophotometer, a device about the size of a breadbox. Once the frequencies were captured, the frequencies needed to get within our hearing range. Continue reading →