This spider web ‘music’ hints at potential for cross-species communication This spider web ‘music’ hints at potential for cross-species communication Written by Annabel Bourne 2021 Not your usual tune: translating spider's silk into sound could open up a whole world of web research Scientists from the American Chemical Society have converted a spider’s web into audio. The process, which involved imaging and analysing a three-dimensional spider web, led to a curious piece of music which has been already played on a ‘harp-like instrument’ in several live performances. The project's principal investigator, Markus Buehler, a professor of engineering at MIT, capitalised upon a personal interest in music to extend the research beyond the scientific world: 'Webs could be a new source for musical inspiration that is very different from the usual human experience.'