What’s up, science? A group of biologist have begun to study patterns in algae data through music. It’s nothing wildly practical, but it’s nonetheless super nerdy cool:

Larsen and his colleagues created different compositions to represent different aspects of their data. For example, the tune “Bloom” illustrates how some algae species bloom occasionally, becoming much more abundant for short periods of time.

“The melody is the abundance of microbial species - low notes correspond to lower abundances, and high notes correspond to higher abundances,” Larsen told LiveScience. “Chord progression is taken from physical parameters — day length, chlorophyll concentration in the water. When we combine those two, we select a note in the chosen octave that is in harmony with the chord that associates with the physical parameters.”

Bacterial theme music! The song starting at :45 feels like it could be the theme to a single camera sitcom - something involving a loveably hapless algae schlub as he navigates the salty waters of life and love. Talgaevision gold.

- Maggie