Life After Death

Life After Death

Scientists “resurrect” the brain of a deceased composer, and it creates new music

Australian scientists have recreated the brain of American composer and pioneer of experimental music, Alvin Lucier, who passed away in 2021, The Guardian reports. The miniature organ looks like two small white spheres.

In 2020, at the age of 89, Lucier agreed to donate his blood for the Revivification project. His white blood cells were reprogrammed into stem cells, which were then used to grow brain organoids—clusters of neurons that mimic the structure and function of the human brain.

The mini-brain was connected to a system that converts neural activity into sound. The resulting sound installation includes 20 brass plates extending from the walls like satellite dishes. Behind each plate is a transducer and a small hammer that respond to the organoid’s neural signals. In this way, the recreated brain of the composer generates its own “melodies.”

Lucier’s organoids are not only capable of producing sound—they can also perceive it. Microphones capture ambient noise, which is converted into electrical signals and sent back into the mini-brain.