we are musicians exploring new frontiers in biology.

the tonal ligand is musical research into cellular communication.

We have developed a tonal framework for musical improvisation based on new research in cell communication. We transcoded the reception of molecular signals into music to capture the character of cellular interactions. We hope to suggest new avenues of scientific research through improvisation.

This site documents our process of creating music inspired by new research in cellular communication. The > overview section introduces the idea of a musical representation of intercellular communication. > Slides contains the text and images from our presentation. > Affinities exhibits the music generated by our approach. The > q&a answers some questions about music theory and the mappings that we used. The > research page summarizes the paper from the > Elowitz Lab at Caltech that inspired this work. The > team page provides biographies for the musicians. Please > Contact us for more information.