Although the sounds are transposed in order to bring them within the audible range for humans, the tones and their relationships are based on the actual vibrational frequencies of each amino acid molecule itself, computed using theories from quantum chemistry.

It provides a systematic way of translating a protein’s sequence of amino acids into a musical sequence, using the physical properties of the molecules to determine the sounds.

Then, reversing the process, they can introduce some variations into the music and convert it back into new proteins never before seen in nature.Īlthough it’s not quite as simple as humming a new protein into existence, the new system comes close. In a surprising marriage of science and art, researchers at MIT have developed a system for converting the molecular structures of proteins, the basic building blocks of all living beings, into audible sound that resembles musical passages. Want to create a brand new type of protein that might have useful properties? No problem.

Download amino acid structure