Name: Returning echoes - ultrasound by cucusonic
Duration: 5 s

While we cannot see small nanoscopic objects like proteins or other molecules that make up virtually all living matter including our cells, tissues, as well as pathogens such as viruses, our computational algorithm allows us to make its material manifestation audible.  This piece is a musical representation of the amino acid sequence and structure of the spike protein of the pathogen of COVID-19, 2019-nCoV (protein data bank identifier 6VSB [1]). 

MUSICAL DECEIT

A virus’ genome hijacks the host cell’s protein manufacturing machinery, and forces it to replicate the viral genome and produce viral proteins to make new viruses from it.  This musical art teaches us something about the fine line between beauty of life and death as an opposite pole.  As you listen to the protein you will find that the intricate design results in incredibly interesting and actually pleasing, relaxing sounds. This doesn’t really convey the deadly impacts this particularly protein is having on the world. This aspect of the music shows the deceiving nature of the virus, how it hijacks our body to replicate, and hurt us along the way. So, the music is a metaphor for this nature of the virus to deceive the host and exploit it for its own multiplication. 

HOW IT IS DONE: 

What you hear is a multi-layered algorithmic composition featuring both the vibrational spectrum of the entire protein (expressed in sound and rhythmic elements), the sequence and folding of amino acids that compose the virus spike structure, as well as interwoven melodies - forming counterpoint music - reflecting the complex hierarchical intersecting geometry of the protein [2].

Scientific references:

[1] Wrapp et al., "Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation," Science, 2020, DOI: 10.1126/science.abb2507

[2] Buehler et al., "A Self-Consistent Sonification Method to Translate Amino Acid Sequences into Musical Compositions and Application in Protein Design Using Artificial Intelligence," ACS Nano, 2019, DOI: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.9b02180

Viral counterpoint of the coronavirus spike protein (2019-nCoV)

Viral Counterpoint of the Coronavirus Spike Protein (2019-nCoV)

Returning echoes
(by Danny Zurc & Alejandro Valencia-Tobon)
www.cucusonic.net

Most bats emit and detect ultrasound signals while flying, in a process known as ‘echolocation’ (they have an active sonar system) [1]. The principle behind echolocation is to emit high-frequency signals (in bats, mainly ultrasonic signals above 20 kHz) and then analyse those returning echoes. By detecting such returning echoes, bats can recognise, classify and localise those objects that reflected back sound signals [2,3].

The problem is that bats confront multitude of issues and masking effects while flying; for example: dealing with external noise, clutter echoes, sound signals emitted by other bats, and the physical effects (temperature, humidity and distance) that generate an atmospheric attenuation of sound [3]. Such ecological constraints have meant a selection pressure which seem to have led to an adaptation process in which ultrasound signals appear to be unique to each species. Biologists came to this conclusion by comparing narrowband and broadband components of echolocation signals [3].

Biologist agree that bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and terminal phase (this latter one also called ‘feeding buzz’). These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses in shorter time interval (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted in very short time interval in order to obtain faster information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

As different bat taxa have a particular pattern during the search phase, ultrasonic vocalisation records can be used as complementary information for biological identification. In the other two phases (approach phase and feeding buzz) the pulses tend to have varied frequencies that do not fall between a specific range of frequencies.

Similar echolocation principle is used by humans. For example, blind people can make mouth click sounds and use the returning echoes to locate possible obstacles [4]. Other applications include submarine sonar systems and the detection of underwater mining [5], and the ultrasound scan that physicians use to obtained medical images of different organs [6]. 

*References*

[1] Metzner, W. & Müller, R. Ultrasound Production, Emission, and Reception. in Bat Bioacoustics (eds. Fenton, M. B., Grinnell, A. D., Popper, A. N. & Fay, R. R.) 55–91 (Springer, 2016). doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-3527-7_3.
[2] Griffin, D. R. Echolocation by Blind Men, Bats and Radar. Science 100, 589–590 (1944).
[3] Schnitzler, H.-U. & Kalko, E. K. V. Echolocation by Insect-Eating Bats: We define four distinct functional groups of bats and find differences in signal structure that correlate with the typical echolocation tasks faced by each group. BioScience 51, 557–569 (2001).
[4] Thaler, L. & Goodale, M. A. Echolocation in humans: an overview. WIREs Cogn. Sci. 7, 382–393 (2016).
[5] Vinutha, K. V., Vinutha, K. & Yuvaraja, T. Under Water Mine Detection Using Sonar. J. Comput. Theor. Nanosci. 15, 2150–2152 (2018).
[6] Carbelo, M. Á., Sosa, L. E. & González, C. R. Historia y desarrollo del ultrasonido en la Imagenología. 13, 15 (2019).

Returning echoes - ultrasound

We are a collaboration, interested in identifying how the multiple sonic registers of animal sound can be harnessed to bring different groups of people together in Colombia: scientists, musicians, farmers, city dwellers, indigenous peoples, to work towards a common purpose, which is the exploration of the transformative potential of biodiversity.

Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent periodic lockdowns, our project’s methodology involves ‘remote’ ways of working which avoid face-to-face contact and are about the recording, sharing, editing and presentation of wildlife observations and bio-acoustic recordings from the various situations of lockdown.

The recording strategies are led by biological scientists, anthropologists and musicians working together. The materials (recordings and observations) are directed towards three purposes:

(1) The establishment and training of a network of citizen scientists to make regular observations and recordings. This work is about facilitating the work which biological scientists cannot do at the present time, while simultaneously creating a record of the ‘return’ of nature during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’.

(2) The production of a regular series of podcasts, videos and recordings using this material and based around particular species, for dissemination through our dedicated website.

(3) A collaboration (online) with a team of international music producers and musicians, through the partnership with the organisation In Place of War.

Cucusonic collective works in partnership with The University of Manchester, the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology and In Place Of War, thanks to the support of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). www.cucusonic.net

Returning echoes - ultrasound

cucusonic

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