Swine Flu As Ambient Music
Swine flu has been sequenced, genetically and now as ambient music:
Here are the details on this:
The algorithm I used is a bit complicated, but just in case you’re curious: since the gene is expressed as a surface protein antibodies can sense, it’s considered as a string of amino acids. Each beat corresponds to one amino acid, and the piece is in 3/4 time, so each six measures would correspond to five turns around the alpha structure. (I’m weaseling because I haven’t the foggiest idea how the protein actually gets folded.)
Amino acids with side chains that are neither aromatic not aliphatic control the piano and organ: the nine non-hydrophobics the piano, and the four hydrophobics the organ. The three amino acids with aliphatic side chains control the low synthesizer, while the four with aromatics control the percussion.
Yeah – it’s pretty horrible, but at least swine flu music won’t kill you.
Related Posts
- Web Site Turns Your Genetic Sequence Into A Musical Sequence
- The Varieties of Ambient Experience – A Century-Spanning Ambient Music Mixtape
- Experimental Music Video Explores Audio & Video Synthesis
- First Look: Tristan Perich’s 1-Bit Symphony
- Music From Photos: Obama’s Inauguration






Christ enough with the damn flu already. Rolling Stone had it on their site today, nerd sites like Ars Technika did, and here? Enough already!