Genome 2 Art was inspired by observations of the human iris as a genetically unique work of art. Similarly the quantum genome eye is also a completely unique pattern that could only be generated from a person's specific DNA. It's scientifically and mathematically grounded and desiged to elevate the magnificence of our genetic uniqueness to the level of art.
Ideation & Experimentation
Starting with commercially available, downloadable genomic data from services like Ancestry.com and 23 and Me, we set out to understand basic genomic plots. Using pandas and plotly we started with the CIRCOS plot (Chromosome boundaries with heterozygosity rates) to view the architecture of the genome. Next we explored the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) plot to render individual genetic variants as scattered stars. Next we created with the help of AI assistant Claude, two completely new plots. First the Quantum Genome Iris, quantum wave interference patterns that form an iris-like structure. Finally we created the quantum wave phase field, a completely novel plot operating on a range from -π to +π to create what we call the quantum genome eye. Each plot is represented below.
Prototyping
After experimentation it was decided that the Genome 2 Art prototype would be released as an open source project on GitHub. Due to the personal nature of human genome data the prototype should run completely locally with no cloud uploads and data persistance.
The code base is python with standard and easy to install modules. Anyone with basic python knowledge or with the assistance of AI programs can clone or download the project. Open sourcing also allows the possibility of future improvements for contributors.
When run with a full genome data file the code will generate two main files. An html file with the four interactive plots described in the ideation and experimentation section. It will also generate a scalable vector graphics (SVG) file that can be printed at any resolution to support any application of the design for art.
Plot theme modifications are easily changed to experiment with different contrasting colors for the plot that generates the svg file.
In addition to the code to render the quantum genome eye from human genome data, we also created code that works on smaller genomes. The project includes the publically available genome for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This allows people who do not possess a copy of their own genome to still experiment. Smaller genomes will result in less complex plots as can be scene below.
