Symphony of Cells is a sonification project by composer David Ibbett - translating images and data from science labs into music as a live, performative experience.
October 2025 - WPI Arts & Sciences Week, Worcester MA
Image of Thalamocortical Map, Mouse Brains by Zhifeng Liang, Tao Li, Jean King, Nanyin Zhang
Thalamocortical connectivity plays a vital role in brain function. The anatomy and function of thalamocortical networks have been extensively studied in animals by numerous invasive techniques. The present study has made it possible to non-invasively investigate the function, neuroplasticity and mutual interactions of thalamocortical networks in animal models.
September 2025 - Harvard Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cape Cod MA
Image of Bacterial Transcription Factors by Nikita Kupko, Gaudet Lab
"Bacterial transcription factors bound to DNA, showing how gut bacteria control the metabolism of catechol-like compounds."
Image of Fungus Infected Fly by Sohaib Abdul Rehman, Prigozhin Lab
"A fungus-infected fly imaged with a newly developed electron-based bioimaging method, where the electron beam reveals both the fly’s structure and the fungal DNA, capturing the infection that drives the infected fly's zombie-like behavior before death."
Image of E. Coli by the Nelson Lab
"Two equally fit color strains of Escherichia coli bacteria spreading by cell division on two fronts from the razor-edge line along which a well-mixed 50–50 population of the two strains was inoculated onto a surface of hard agar nutrient. Most cell division is confined to within about 20–30 cell widths of the two moving linear fronts. In this linear-inoculation geometry each advancing front is eventually dominated by a single color."
Image of Mouse Hypothalamic Neuron, Dulac and Litchman Labs, by Xiaomeng Han
"A hypothalamic neuron (pink), central to parenting circuits, is wired by a rainbow of synaptic inputs that fine-tune caregiving behavior—shown here in 3D reconstruction from serial-section electron microscopy data.”
Image of Perineuronal Cells by the Hensch Lab, taken by postdoc Henry Lee
"Shown are three perineuronal nets in yellow, which are extracellular matrix structures tightly wrapping around a particularly pivotal cell type that drives brain plasticity during development. As these nets tighten, the brain loses the childlike ability to learn new skills easily, while in turn protecting it from excessive stress and psychosis. So, the double-edged associated emotions are stability / resilience with a hint of remorse or chagrin at the missed opportunities for further growth."
Image of Mouse Embryo time lapse by the Gredler Lab
"This image shows time-lapse microscopy of a fluorescent cell polarity protein undergoing dynamic redistribution in the midline of the developing mouse embryo."
Image of E. Coli by the Nelson Lab
"The razor blade depositing the bacteria went too deep and scratched the agar. Hence, over the course of the ~4 day experiment, as hard agar on plate started to dry out, the scratch opened up into a black canyon. The e. coli (with heritable red and green fluorescent markers) grew down a bit into the canyon as well as across the top of the agar away from the agar. The red and green strains were initially well-mixed along the scratch but, as you can see, their progeny demixed due to genetic drift as the front moved away from the scratch."
Image of Hydra by Christophe Dupre, Engert Lab
"We are seeing the activity of the nervous system of Hydra, learning how neurons act in concert to generate behavior."