Viral musicality in harmony with nature

Abstract

In this manuscript we describe a biological system that deals with herpes simplex virus in the context of an in vitro infection in the presence of carrageenan, from a novel point of view by comparing our system to the Ligeti's symphonic poem of 100 metronomes. Metronomes (from ancient Greek μI­τρον-metron, "measure" and νI­μω-nemo, "I manage", "I lead"), as a measuring instrument of “tempo” links us with the viral replication cycle to define, through sound, a metaphorical construction of life (as vibration and movement, impermanence and constant change). The changes detected in viral populations, in time and space, in a similar way to the artistically experienced in Ligeti's symphonic poem enable us a trans disciplinary view, creating networks of cooperation that favor the renewal of the conceptual bases of biology enriching our perception and understanding of the biology and evolution of viruses.