Caption: The Bawku meteorite that fell in Ghana in 1989. This meteorite will be at Anglia Ruskin University on Saturday, 21 March as part of the Cambridge Festival event. Credit: Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
For data sonification aficionados, Anglia Ruskin University’s Domenico Vicinanza and Carrie Soderman of the University of Cambridge, *ETA March 20, 2026: present their ‘rocky’ work soon at the Cambridge Festival*, from the March 18, 2026 Anglia Ruskin University press release (also on EurekAlert includes two audio clips here, scroll down and click),
The mysterious properties of meteorites will be transformed into music and performed live during a free Cambridge Festival event hosted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) on Saturday, 21 March [2026].
Presented by Dr Domenico Vicinanza, an expert in data sonification at ARU, and Dr Carrie Soderman, an earth scientist at the University of Cambridge, the event invites the audience to experience space science and geology in a completely different way.
The event will focus on basalt and chondrites, two types of rock made of the same minerals, but formed in dramatically different environments.
Basalt is a volcanic rock, formed here on Earth, while chondrites are the most common type of meteorite and among the oldest materials in the Solar System, formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. Chondrites contain spherical structures called chondrules, which contain important information about how solid matter first formed in space.
The sonification software created by Dr Vicinanza analyses microscope images of thin sections of each rock, extracting information about every grain and mapping these details to sound. For example, round grains produce smooth, flowing sounds, whereas angular or elongated grains produce short, sharp sounds. Larger grains produce longer sounds and brighter grains produce higher notes.
Basalt contains crystals grown under gravity and directional forces, resulting in elongated and angular shapes. These are translated into short, percussive, and rhythmically complex sounds. In contrast, chondrites form in microgravity, allowing crystals to grow evenly in all directions, producing rounded structures and smooth continuous sounds.
Dr Vicinanza, Associate Professor of Intelligent Systems and Data Science at ARU in Cambridge, England, said: “Carrie and I are thrilled to share this music with the public for the first time at the Cambridge Festival. By looking at thin sections of meteorites under a microscope, we can appreciate their unique patterns and mineral textures, which are unlike anything found on Earth. Sonification translates these details into pitch, rhythm and harmony, making complex geological ideas accessible through sound.
“By converting meteorites into music, we’re allowing the audience to hear how gravity shaped the formation of rocks in space compared with those formed on Earth. It’s an entirely different way of experiencing their origins and we really hope people enjoy listening to this new type of rock music!”
Listening to meteorites: Music from the minerals of other worlds takes place on Saturday, 21 March (11am) and is one of more than 40 free events being hosted by ARU as part of the 2026 Cambridge Festival. To reserve a place, visit https://www.aru.ac.uk/events/cambridge-festival/listening-to-meteorites
As for the 2026 Cambridge Festival, it started on March 16, 2026 and ends on April 2, 2026, here’s more from a March 13, 2026 article by Angela Singer for Cambridge News
From artificial intelligence and breast cancer research to Georgian theatre and family workshops, the festival brings together experts, artists and the public
The global challenge of building peace, AI unlocking the secrets of life, the future of breast cancer treatment, and a revival of rebellious Georgian actresses. These are among the headline events at this year’s Cambridge Festival, which begins next Monday 16 March, launching 17 days of talks, performances, debates and workshops across Cambridge.
With more than 360 events taking place across the city, the festival brings together researchers, artists and public figures to examine the science, culture and politics shaping modern life. Events are hosted across University of Cambridge venues and partner institutions, including Anglia Ruskin University, which will also stage festival events.
As wars continue to dominate the global agenda – from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to the war in the Middle East – the challenge of achieving lasting peace has rarely felt more urgent.
Around the world, conflicts are increasing in number and complexity, with dozens persisting for decades and shaping the lives of entire generations. An end to war: Creating peace in a turbulent world (28 March [2026]) will tackle this question head-on, bringing together experts to explore how diplomacy, international cooperation and academic research can help resolve conflicts and build the foundations for durable peace.
Cambridge Festival, the University of Cambridge’s annual showcase of ideas, research and public conversations. IMAGE: Courtesy of Cambridge Festival
While global leaders grapple with conflict and diplomacy, researchers are also confronting another set of urgent challenges, using new technologies to better understand the fundamental processes of life.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how scientists study living systems, opening new ways to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, from plastic pollution to cancer. Biochemistry and AI (28 March [2026]) will explore how teaching computers to spot patterns in vast biological datasets is accelerating discovery, from designing enzymes that could break down plastic waste to tracking how cells copy their DNA to help identify which cancers respond best to treatment.
Singer offers an engaging preview of the festival pogramme in her March 13, 2026 article and you can explore the whole of it including free talks, exhibitions, film festival, special events and more at the Cambridge Festival website.
