Analogy could help engineers develop materials that make use of repeating patterns.
By Denise Brehm, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Graphic: Christine Daniloff
Using a new mathematical methodology, researchers at MIT have created a scientifically rigorous analogy that shows the similarities between the physical structure of spider silk and the sonic structure of a melody, proving that the structure of each relates to its function in an equivalent way.
The step-by-step comparison begins with the primary building blocks of each item — an amino acid and a sound wave — and moves up to the level of a beta sheet nanocomposite (the secondary structure of a protein consisting of repeated hierarchical patterns) and a musical riff (a repeated pattern of notes or chords). The study explains that structural patterns are directly related to the functional properties of lightweight strength in the spider silk and, in the riff, sonic tension that creates an emotional response in the listener.
Filed under: General technology, Media, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Biomolecular structure, BioNanoScience, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Civil engineering, German National Academic Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, materials engineering, mit, MIT news, Office of Naval Research, Rigour, scientific rigor, secondary structure, Spider silk, Spivak
