Architeuthoceras said:Fossil Cephalopod Sonification
Looks like a job for Led Zepplin
....Suture patterns of ammonoid cephalopods readily lend themselves to sonification. An ammonoid suture is the line of intersection between the edge of a folded septum (internal chamber wall) with the outer wall of the cephalopod shell. The sutures can be represented as wiggly lines in two dimensions (plotted in x-y space). As exemplified in virtually any invertebrate paleontology textbook, the various groups of ammonoids possess highly characteristic suture patterns, which have important taxonomic significance for identifying ammonoid taxa from subclass down to species level.
Without any prior listening experience, almost anyone should be able to differentiate between the sounds of the most common categories of ammonoid suture patterns, such as goniatitic, ceratitic and ammonitic sutures. For example, a typical goniatitic suture with smooth lobes and saddles (Figure 1, top) will render a simple melody line that rises and falls smoothly as the melody flows along. In contrast, a ceratitic suture with secondary crenulations in the lobes (Figure 1,middle) will yield a melody line that rises and falls with smooth slurs in the high parts and small trills in the lowparts. An ammonitic suture with complexly folded lobes and saddles (Figure 1, bottom) will produce a much more complex melody line that is embellished like a flashy cadenza as it flies up and down through the high and low registers.....
Activity - Students were asked to try to recognize the various genera of ammonoids that were provided in labby listening to their sonified sutures. Also, they experimented with the theremin in an attempt to sonify the sutures of the three principle kinds of ammonoids (goniatites, ceratites and ammonites). First, computer-generated suture lines of a dozen common genera of shelled cephalopods were played for the class on an audio CD player, so that the students could hear what a sonified suture might sound like. By simply listening, everyone in the class was able to distinguish between the general categories of goniatitic, ceratitic and ammonitic suture patterns with 100 per cent accuracy. Further, they were able to identify the particular genera of ammonoids with an accuracy of about two out of three. Then the students were instructed to take turns with the theremin. Each student chose an ammonoid genus and played its suture on theremin for the rest of the class, and the other students were asked to determine which genus of ammonoid they were listening to. Again, the other students were able to identify the particular genera of ammonoids with an accuracy of about two out of three.
spartacus said:I've already had my knuckles rapped for being immature on another fossiliferous forum
Phil said:(Just as well I've got to go out in a mo; I was tempted to knock up an Elvis Ammonite on photoshop for you).