Emergence of Mutations: Differential Rhythms SARS-CoV-2 versus SARS-CoV-2 D614G by Markus J. Buehler

As mutations of the original COVID-19 pathogen emerge, we explore a musical assessment of different forms of coronavirus structures. In this example we focus on the G614 mutation, which has been dominating the spread of the virus in late 2020.

The motions of molecules can not only be captured as “tones” or “timbres” in musical form, but can slowed down such that they are audible to the human auditory system as rhythm.

Using this method, the vibrations of proteins in two mutants of the COVID-19 pathogen are translated into rhythms, and played simultaneously on the left and right audio channel, respectively. You can hear the slight differences between the mutations as a type of "stereo effect".

Just like drum patterns follow a regular schedule of execution, the rhythms are played simultaneously forward, and backward, so that the resulting music features a symmetrical shape.

A break in the symmetry is achieved through ever so slight alteration of the timbre of the beat, realized through the use of vocoders.