Italo-American scientists discover the "music" of DNA cells

ROME, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The sound of life, music that comes from the movement of DNA, the blueprint of life, has been recorded and patented for the first time by a team of Italian and American researchers, Italian News Agency Adnkronos reported on Wednesday.

The team of scientists have been led by Carlo Ventura, a professor of molecular biology at Italy's University of Bologna and physicist James Gimzewski from the American University of California, Los Angeles.

The discovery could in the future make scientists similar to the "conductors of orchestras" with the capacity to identify the cells and to differentiate them with a precise sound, Adnkronos said.

Ventura explained his results at a recent conference on "Biological, Clinical and Social aspects of lengthening the average life span" at the National Institute of Biostructure and Biosystems in the Italian capital Rome.

"The folds of the DNA are dynamic in its ability to assemble and disassemble itself and they continuously move," he said.

The researchers are trying to understand if the "sound" can pinpoint the cells and make them understand better what they can do in terms of genetic modification.

"It's necessary to understand if specific differentiations correspond to specific sounds. If it is like that, one can then see if by listening to the sounds made by the cells, we will be able to transform them to what we want them to be," Ventura said.