Mathematics is the language of science; recent discoveries reveal that music may truly be the language of nature. We are nature, and sound is instrumental in all life.
New findings show that we may be biologically "hardwired" in our response to aesthetically pleasing or displeasing music. Evidence suggests that music may be encoded in the smallest protein molecules comprising living things. Recent experiments from MIT, report efforts to represent manmade silk fibers as musical compositions, using the underlying proteins in the synthetic silk as "notes". The researchers found remarkable similarities between the physical properties of the silk and the aesthetic sound and feel of its associated music. In other words, silk with good physical properties produced pleasing music!
Sound Healing investigators and certain students of antiquity have long believed that sound in general, and music in particular holds great potential for revealing a deeper understanding of the universe around us. Furthermore, the informed application of precise energy—in the form of sound frequencies—can benefit us on many levels: emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.
The MIT research team’s work to synthesize silk fibers in the lab used the novel approach of replicating building-block protein molecules. The large multidisciplinary team, including engineers, biomedical experts, mathematicians, and musical composers, systematically formulated synthetic silk as a model for future synthetic material design work. They began by building a computer model of natural silk and then identified the underlying biomaterials responsible for the unique lightweight, subtleness and extraordinary strength of spider silk.
These researchers modified silk-producing genes and created a device to copy a spider's silk-spinning organ. After extensive work, they produced a variety of synthetic silk strands. Two of the experimental "silks" stood out. One of the new protein combinations yielded extremely strong silk molecules; the catch was that these proteins did not adhere to each other as a thread, rendering them useless. The second material contained weaker protein molecules, yet they adhered together strongly and made an excellent thread, which is what natural silk proteins do. It was not enough to produce strong proteins alone; they must interconnect properly and form a coherent strand on a large scale. A cohesive architecture must properly align and connect the components, like a musical composition.
After these initial results, the team returned to the lab to produce new silk materials. The latest analytical tools that they employed in the development of superior silk, was music. Greatly simplifying the details, the various levels of the silk's structure (the proteins, their relationships, and underlying structures) were translated into musical compositions.
The end result: the strong silk proteins that would not form usable threads, produced music that was harsh and displeasing. The proteins that formed usable fibers played as soft, fluid, pleasing music. The fact that the above process (based on the silk proteins) resulted in anything even remotely resembling music is remarkable; the fact that pleasing music was produced from "good" silk and harsh music resulted from "bad" silk is nearly miraculous.