clipped from: www.boston.com
 In this representation of genetic activity, the circles are genes, the lines signify relationships, and colors indicate genes that have similar functions. |
They use mathematical techniques, in the case of colon cancer, for instance, to reduce the data from a group of nearly 10,000 genes down to just four combinations that they say represent virtually all the variability in the data.
Each combination is then assigned a note. When three or more notes are played at the same time, they become a chord. When those chords are played across time, they become music.
The researchers assign a harmonious sound to a normal, healthy gene network. When there are deviations in the genes' behavior -- such as the presence of disease -- the music sounds inharmonious.
