BACKGROUND: Since all genetic information can only come in the language of four nucleotides (A Adenosine C Cytosine G Guanine T Thymidine) all genetic information is fairly easily conveyed in musical form. Back in 2008 my friend Liz Wade and I sent away to 23andme.com to get our genetic code read and from there we used the code to create music.
Take Heroin Addiction for example: Liz simply assigned A, C and G to those notes, and assigned T to a F sharp. She then repeated a 10 nucleotides sequence several times. But that is just one way to do it. To be true to the music inherent in the sequences the only consistency that has to be maintained is that—as long as you’re within the same genetic marker—the nucleotides always have to be the same note, whether you assign A to A or A to G sharp.
DNA: According to 23andme.com, I can taste bitter (and trust me, I can). The genetic marker for this is the variation (SNP) rs713598. The DNA sequence (in FASTA format) surrounding this variation is below:
GCTTTGGGAT AGATCTAGGC AAAGAGCTGG ATGCTTTGTG AAGGAAAGGT CCTGGCTTGG AACGTACATT TACCTTTCTG CACTGGGTGG CAACCAGGTC TTTAGATTAG CCAACTAGAG AAGAGAAGTA GAATAGCCAA TTAGAGAAGT GACATCATGT TGACTCTAAC TCGCATCCGC ACTGTGTCCT ATGAAGTCAG GAGTACATTT CTGTTCATTT CAGTCCTGGA GTTTGCAGTG GGGTTTCTGA CCAATGCCTT CGTTTTCTTG GTGAATTTTT GGGATGTAGT GAAGAGGCAG S CACTGAGCAA CAGTGATTGT GTGCTGCTGT GTCTCAGCAT CAGCCGGCTT TTCCTGCATG GACTGCTGTT CCTGAGTGCT ATCCAGCTTA CCCACTTCCA GAAGTTGAGT GAACCACTGA ACCACAGCTA CCAAGCCATC ATCATGCTAT GGATGATTGC AAACCAAGCC AACCTCTGGC TTGCTGCCTG CCTCAGCCTG CTTTACTGCT CCAAGCTCAT CCGTTTCTCT CACACCTTCC TGATCTGCTT GGCAAGCTGG GTCTCCAGGA AGATCTCCCA GATGCTCCTG GGTATTATTC
DOWNLOAD CODE: Click here to download PDF of Bitter Taste Perception.