This release contains only the music track from Base by Base Episode 311.

Song title: Shuttle in the Dark
Original Base by Base episode: 311: mtG3PDH (GPO1) loss in Drosophila impairs mitochondrial ATP/O, O2 consumption, and ROS
Original episode link: https://basebybase.com/episodes/drosophila-mtg3pdh-gpo1

Article metadata:
Article title: When alternative becomes essential: The role of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
Journal: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2535701123
Reference: Herpe L, Aminot M, Pichaud N. When alternative becomes essential: The role of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2026;123(9):e2535701123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2535701123

Lyrics:
Verse 1
Midnight in the muscle, quiet sparks on glass
A little hidden engine makes the moments last
Sugar turns to motion, coded in a chain
One switch in the genome—everything feels strange

Pre-Chorus
Cut the wire and the lights go low
Power fades where it used to flow
But in the silence, something shows
A truth you couldn’t know

Chorus
When the backup turns essential, you can feel it in the strain
Less fire in the furnace, less oxygen in the vein
We lose the extra thunder, but the red glare pulls away
In the dark the data whispers: there’s a price—and there’s a way

Verse 2
Climbing turns to trembling, time runs thinner than before
ATP is missing like a key lost on the floor
Breath inside the mitochondria slows its steady draw
Efficiency is slipping, like a promise with a flaw

Bridge
Still, I watch the signal soften, the harsh light dim to calm
Fewer little storms of damage, fewer reasons for alarm
Not a cure, not a sermon—just a map of what is true
If you chase the spark too hard, it might be chasing you

Final Chorus
When the backup turns essential, you can feel it in the strain
Less fire in the furnace, less oxygen in the vein
We trade raw speed for balance, learn what every circuit pays
And the dark becomes a doorway when the shuttle changes phase