This release contains only the music track from Base by Base Episode 4.

Song title: Blueprint of the Branches
Original Base by Base episode: 4: How CXCL12 Shapes Coronary Dominance

Article metadata:
Article title: CXCL12 drives natural variation in coronary artery anatomy across diverse populations
Journal: Cell
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.02.005
Reference: Rios Coronado PE, Zhou J, Fan X, et al. CXCL12 drives natural variation in coronary artery anatomy across diverse populations. Cell. 2025;188:1784–1806. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2025.02.005

Lyrics:
Verse 1
In the hush before the first heartbeat knows its name,
A quiet signal writes a map inside the frame,
Not stone and steel—just gradients in the dark,
Calling on the cells like fireflies to a spark.

Pre-Chorus
A switch in silent letters, hidden out of sight,
Turns the dial of “go this way” in fetal light,
And every tiny drift becomes a future road,
Where blood will learn the paths it’s owed.

Chorus
CXCL12, draw the branches, make the river choose,
Guide the wandering builders with the cues we never lose,
Left or right, a subtle sway, but it changes what we feel,
In the blueprint of the branches, something wakes to heal.

Verse 2
Across a thousand lines of ancestry and chance,
The patterns show up when the numbers start to dance,
Open chromatin windows, whispers in the code,
Pointing to the same refrain down the artery road.

Bridge
If the path can shift, then maybe it can bend,
Make new side streets where the broken lanes can end,
Teach the heart to reroute when the pressure gets too real,
Turn a developmental memory into a second deal.

Final Chorus
CXCL12, draw the branches, make the river choose,
Lead the CXCR4 runners with the signal they can use,
From a silent variant’s nudge to a living, beating wheel,
In the blueprint of the branches, there’s a brighter way to heal.