Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Gimme a C, a Yeasty C

The Miracle of Science

A recent article describes research that may allow doctors to literally hear disease.

Preliminary research indicates that living cells, with proper care and feeding, pulsate.  That pulsation can be expressed as sound.  Initial study of yeast cells reveals that they pulse “about a C-sharp to D above middle C in terms of music”.  Dead or mutated cells actually sound different than healthy ones.  Interestingly, sprinkling alcohol on yeast cells- the preferred method of killing them, apparently- raises the pitch of those cells.  I don’t know if I sing higher after I’ve been sprinkled with alcohol, but I definitely sing LOUDER. 

Nevertheless, with more research and refinement, this sort of nano-sonic listening could yield an entire new set of diagnostic tools.  Like really, really sick headphones for starters. 


Posted by on 02/25/04 at 02:54 PM
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