You may have seen countless images of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus strain responsible for over 70,000 deaths and 1.2 million COVID-19 cases worldwide. But seeing the virus is one thing; scientists can now help you hear it as well.
By encoding each amino acid on the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into musical notes with different pitches, timbres, and volumes, a group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created a composition titled: “Viral Counterpoint of the Coronavirus Spike Protein (2019-nCoV)“.
The nearly 2-hour-long composition was posted on the SoundCloud account of Markus J. Buehler, a materials scientist at MIT. As you enjoy this truly melodious and soothing tune, Buehler notes that this melody is part of the virus’s deceptive nature, as it quietly infiltrates, harms us, and takes tens of thousands of lives:
In the music you are listening to, there are chimes, strings, and flutes playing softly and then intensely. All of these reflect different aspects of the structure of the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The spike protein is the defining feature of coronaviruses. It protrudes from the virus’s cell membrane, forming a crown-like shape and giving coronaviruses their name. In SARS-CoV-2, this spike protein has specific mutations that enable it to bind tightly to human cells and infect them more effectively than other coronavirus strains, including SARS and MERS.
The spikes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus fit with a receptor known as ACE2. ACE2 receptors are abundant on the surface of lung cells. Thus, this virus often infiltrates the lungs and causes acute pneumonia.
Besides lung cells, ACE2 receptors are also present in the intestines, kidneys, testes, and heart. However, it is strange that the SARS-CoV-2 virus does not attack the hearts of infected individuals.
Like all other proteins, the spikes of SARS-CoV-2 are made up of combinations of amino acids. Using a set of algorithms known as sonification techniques, scientists from MIT assigned each amino acid a unique musical note within a scale, converting the entire spike protein of the virus into a piece of music.
“Although we cannot see small objects at the nanoscale, such as proteins or other molecules that make up most living matter, including cells, tissues, and pathogens like viruses, our algorithms allow us to hear them. This work represents a music piece reflecting the sequence and structure of the amino acids of the spike protein of the COVID-19 pathogen, 2019-nCoV“, Buehler wrote.
In real life, the amino acids that make up the spike protein for SARS-CoV-2 tend to fold into a helical chain or extend into a long strand. Researchers used algorithms to simulate these properties into the duration and volume of each note. Thermal vibrations at the molecular level are also simulated into a distinct sound.
“What you hear is music generated from multi-layered algorithms, including the vibrational spectrum of the entire protein (represented in sound elements and rhythm), the chain and the folds of the amino acids forming the spike protein of the virus, as well as interwoven melodies – forming counterpoint sections – reflecting the complex geometric hierarchy of the protein“, Buehler explains.
But why do scientists want to turn the virus into music? It’s not necessarily an entertaining task. Scientists at MIT explain that this new format of the virus may help them find sites on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 where an antibody or drug could bind to block the virus from entering cells.
The composition is a quicker and more visual approach than traditional protein research methods, such as molecular modeling that many other research groups are conducting.
They also add that by comparing the musical sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with a large database containing simulated protein compositions, one day scientists may find a type of protein that can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spikes to block the virus, which could be a vaccine for COVID-19.
Of course, the composition itself is also entertaining. Scientists say they chose an instrument set that includes strings and flutes with Japanese influences to create pleasing, melodious, and soothing sounds.
“This musical art teaches us something about the boundary between the beauty of life and death as opposing extremes. When you listen to this protein, you will find its complex structure leads to extremely interesting, pleasant, and relaxing sounds“, Buehler explains.
“It does not truly convey the death toll this particular protein is wreaking across the world. This music reveals the deceptive nature of the virus, how it infiltrates our bodies to replicate and harm us along the way. Thus, the music is a metaphor for the nature of the virus, deceiving the host and exploiting humanity to multiply.”
Source: Science