Blogs home Dangerous Ideas
A Second Life Field Trip and Protein Music
Yesterday I took some of my students to Second Life to visit a wonderful genetics site called Genome island. Second Life is an on line world where users can build pretty much what ever they want. Second Life has begun to attract interest from educators and Genome Island is a good example of its strengths and the weaknesses as an educational tool.
These are some of my students in first life and in Second Life.
A full article about my field trip with pictures is on my general blog.
Our Genome Island host, Dr. M. A. Clark, from Texas Wesleyan University has worked on an interesting fusion between music and biology- taking proteins and translating them into musical forms by assigning a different tone to each kind of amino acid in the protein. She claims that hearing protein structure rather than seeing it reveals patterns and themes not apparent visually.
You can hear the results at: http://whozoo.org/mac/Music/.
Learn more about Dr. Clark and her collaborator John Dunn in this article in Leonardo On Line produced at MIT.
Second Life and other sorts of virtual universes have been in the news a lot lately. Have you been in Second Life or other virtual universe? If so what has been your experience?
Of course, comment about Dr. Clark's protein music as well.
If you use Second Life, visit Genome Island here. This link will only take you there of course, if you have Second Life installed on your computer.
Top ads RSS
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- Armed robbery reported at home on Delaware Street July 4, 2008 · 15 comments
- Lawrence police seek 46-year-old man suspected in KU student's murder July 4, 2008 · 108 comments
- Weblog: Backyard Fence Blog: 2 b continued here and now! May 21, 2008 · 380 comments
- This Fourth should be day of atonement July 4, 2008 · 68 comments
- City manager proposes hold-the-line budget July 3, 2008 · 72 comments
- Area bicyclists confused by deadly accident June 30, 2008 · 238 comments
- Pollution is fireworks’ dirty little secret July 4, 2008 · 28 comments
- Bush has dug a deep hole for the nation July 3, 2008 · 109 comments
- New Iraq report calls progress satisfactory July 2, 2008 · 115 comments
- On the street: Do you think the FBI should be able to investigate Americans based on terrorist profiles without any evidence of wrongdoing? July 3, 2008 · 86 comments
- Lawrence police seek 46-year-old man suspected in KU student's murder July 4, 2008
- Children’s singer Mr. Stinky Feet wows families at Lawrence library July 4, 2008
- Historical details don’t displace July 4th July 4, 2008
- Looking to lead July 4, 2008
- This Fourth should be day of atonement July 4, 2008
- Sheriff's lieutenant killed in bicycle accident laid to rest July 2, 2008
- Defendant takes stand in murder case August 10, 2001
- Baker set to receive $500,000 in 5 years July 4, 2008
- German woman’s assisted suicide fueling debate July 4, 2008
- Mayer: KU’s Self earns his paycheck July 4, 2008
15 March 2008 at 7:13 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jystevens (Joyce Stevens) says…
Paul:
I have an avatar in Second Life (SL). I am doing some work for a company called The Proficients Project (http://theproficientsproject.com/default…) and it involves SL. They are involved in website development and are creating an island in SL in conjunction with the MS Office Live people. It sounds rather fantastical to talk about it but it's pretty fun. I have chatted with some other avatars who got involved in SL through projects for college classes. I think I'll open SL and visit Genome Island.