Reoccurring Patterns in Hierarchical Protein Materials and Music: The Power of Analogies
Author(s)
Giesa, Tristan; Spivak, David I; Buehler, Markus J
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Complex hierarchical structures composed of simple nanoscale building blocks form the basis of most biological materials. Here, we demonstrate how analogies between seemingly different fields enable the understanding of general principles by which functional properties in hierarchical systems emerge, similar to an analogy learning process. Specifically, natural hierarchical materials like spider silk exhibit properties comparable to classical music in terms of their hierarchical structure and function. As a comparative tool, here, we apply hierarchical ontology logs that follow a rigorous mathematical formulation based on category theory to provide an insightful system representation by expressing knowledge in a conceptual map. We explain the process of analogy creation, draw connections at several levels of hierarchy, and identify similar patterns that govern the structure of the hierarchical systems silk and music and discuss the impact of the derived analogy for nanotechnology.
Date issued
2011-12Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Computational Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular MechanicsJournal
BioNanoScience
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Citation
Giesa, Tristan, David I. Spivak, and Markus J. Buehler. “Reoccurring Patterns in Hierarchical Protein Materials and Music: The Power of Analogies.” BioNanoScience 1.4 (2011): 153–161.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
2191-1630
2191-1649