Sound on 🔈— In this video, the sound of a healthy yeast cell has been made visible on the CymaScope instrument, revealing complex geometrical features. The study of the sound of cells is known as #sonocytology—read more below. (Video credit: CymaScope on YouTube) 1/4
Sonocytology (first discovered by Dr. James Gimzewski) uses an atomic force microscope (AFM) to scan over the cell’s surface creating a precise map of its topography. The AFM records the vibrational movements of cell walls, amplifying these vibrations into audible #sound. 2/4
Saccharomyces cerevisiae oscillate at approximately 1,000x/second (reminiscent of amplitude + frequency of sound waves). Interestingly, when exposed to alcohol, the pitch of these vibrations increases—something Gimzewski referred to as ‘screaming’. doi.org/10.1086/596646 3/4
The study of cellular sounds may present a new frontier in the detection of certain diseases as the understanding of sonocytology grows—for instance, vibrational signatures could be used to monitor the health of a cell in response to internal stressors such as gene mutations. 4/4
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