Study Reveals Direct Impact of Sound on Cellular Activity

The intense sensation we experience from powerful sounds—like a jet engine roaring at takeoff or the deep thump of concert speakers—isn’t just something we hear in our ears or feel in our heads. Our cells might be sensing it too.

At its core, sound is a mechanical wave—compressional energy moving through materials. It’s a fundamental feature of our constantly shifting world. But sound isn’t just background noise; it’s a key source of environmental information for living organisms. What’s less understood, and only recently gaining attention, is how sound might directly affect our biology at the cellular level.

Building on research from 2018, a team at Kyoto University has been exploring this question through the lens of mechanobiology and body-conducted sound—the internal sonic environment that exists within tissues. These areas of study suggest that the acoustic pressure produced by sound waves might be strong enough to trigger a cellular response.

“To investigate the effect of sound on cellular activities, we designed a system to bathe cultured cells in acoustic waves.”

Masahiro Kumeta, Study Corresponding Author, Kyoto University

The team developed a unique setup by flipping a vibration transducer upside down on a shelf. They connected it to a digital audio player and amplifier, which delivered sound signals through the transducer and into a diaphragm attached to a dish of cultured cells. This system allowed the researchers to expose the cells to sound pressures similar to those found naturally in the body.

After this exposure, they analyzed the cells using RNA sequencing, microscopy, and other tools. The results showed clear molecular responses to audible acoustic stimulation.

One of the most striking findings was sound’s ability to suppress adipocyte differentiation—the process by which precursor cells develop into fat cells. This suggests that acoustic stimulation might be used to influence cellular and tissue behavior in new ways.

“Since sound is non-material, acoustic stimulation is a tool that is non-invasive, safe, and immediate, and will likely benefit medicine and healthcare,” Kumeta explained.

The study also identified around 190 genes that appeared to respond to sound. Researchers found that sound affected cell adhesion—the way cells attach to one another and to their surroundings—and they mapped out the internal pathways that carry these acoustic signals within cells.

Beyond confirming that cells can detect and react to sound, this research challenges the traditional idea that sound perception is limited to the brain and ears. It turns out, individual cells may also have the capacity to "hear" in their own way.