By Brandon Wu & EJ Brannan
Finding Common Ground
It's long been known that short, catchy tunes can be used as a helpful mnemonic for memorizing concepts. Chemistry is no exception, as shown by Dr. Gregory Crowther and Dr. Katie Davis from the University of Washington. Have a listen to their unique method of teaching biochemistry through "Amino Acid Jazz":
However, recent research has shown the possibility of a far deeper connection. Think about the terms “resonance”, “frequencies”, and “harmonics”. Throughout CHEM 1x5 series, we have learned about how resonance structures impact the stability of molecules, how different frequencies in IR spectra help us identify molecules, and how harmonics can be used to describe waves. But you've probably also heard these terms used in another setting: music. You can mention how a tone resonates through a bell being rung, frequencies affecting the pitch of notes, and the groundings of harmonics in waves remaining largely unchanged from the chemical standpoint. The closer you look, the more you realize music and chemistry are grounded by a common language: mathematics.
"First Life" - Applying Similarities
Professor Steve Everett from Emory University has already built onto these concepts. The narrated musical compositions below are made entirely from biochemical research data that transforms numbers into controlled pitches. We will be talking more in the next tabs about the specific ways that this transformation can be done through various kinetic processes, assigning a "musical periodic table", and even through IR spectrometry data!
