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DNA sonification for public engagement in bioinformatics

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Plaisier_2021_BMCRN_Sonification_CC.pdf (545.1Kb)
Date
15/07/2021
Author
Plaisier, Heleen
Meagher, Thomas Robert
Barker, Daniel
Funder
Science & Technology Facilities Council
Grant ID
ST/T000872/1
Keywords
Bioinformatics
Sonification
DNA
Sequence
Public engagement
Raspberry Pi
Sonic Pi
LB Theory and practice of education
QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
QH301 Biology
QH426 Genetics
DAS
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Abstract
Objective: Visualisation methods, primarily color-coded representation of sequence data, have been a predominant means of representation of DNA data. Algorithmic conversion of DNA sequence data to sound – sonification – represents an alternative means of representation that uses a different range of human sensory perception. We propose that sonification has value for public engagement with DNA sequence information because it has potential to be entertaining as well as informative. We conduct preliminary work to explore the potential of DNA sequence sonification in public engagement with bioinformatics. We apply a simple sonification technique for DNA, in which each DNA base is represented by a specific note. Additionally, a beat may be added to indicate codon boundaries or for musical effect. We report a brief analysis from public engagement events we conducted that featured this method of sonification. Results: We report on use of DNA sequence sonification at two public events. Sonification has potential in public engagement with bioinformatics, both as a means of data representation and as a means to attract audience to a drop-in stand. We also discuss further directions for research on integration of sonification into bioinformatics public engagement and education.
Citation
Plaisier , H , Meagher , T R & Barker , D 2021 , ' DNA sonification for public engagement in bioinformatics ' , BMC Research Notes , vol. 14 , 273 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05685-7
Publication
BMC Research Notes
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05685-7
ISSN
1756-0500
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Description
Funding: This work was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) grant numbers ST/R000328/1 and ST/T000872/1.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-471137/v1
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/23603

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