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Listening to life: Sonification for enhancing discovery in biological research
  • Rhea Braun,
  • Maxwell Tfirn,
  • Roseanne Ford
Rhea Braun
University of Virginia
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Maxwell Tfirn
Christopher Newport University
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Roseanne Ford
University of Virginia

Corresponding Author:rmf3f@virginia.edu

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Abstract

Sonification, or the practice of generating sound from data, is a promising alternative or complement to data visualization for exploring research questions in the life sciences. Expressing or communicating data in the form of sound rather than graphs, tables, or renderings can provide a secondary information source for multitasking or remote monitoring purposes or make data accessible when visualizations cannot be used. While popular in astronomy, neuroscience, and geophysics as a technique for data exploration and communication, its potential in the biological and biotechnological sciences has not been fully explored. In this review, we introduce sonification as a concept, some examples of how sonification has been used to address areas of interest in biology, and the history of the technique. We then highlight a selection of biology-related publications that involve sonifications of DNA datasets and protein datasets, sonifications for data collection and interpretation, and sonifications aimed to improve science communication and accessibility. Through this review, we aim to show how sonification has been used both as a discovery tool and a communication tool and to inspire more life-science researchers to incorporate sonification into their own studies.
27 Oct 2023Submitted to Biotechnology and Bioengineering
14 Nov 2023Submission Checks Completed
14 Nov 2023Assigned to Editor
14 Nov 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
22 Mar 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
05 Apr 20241st Revision Received
08 Apr 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
16 Apr 2024Editorial Decision: Accept