Show Notes
This release contains only the music track from Base by Base Episode 442.
Song title: Pump the Light Back In
Original Base by Base episode: 442: When pumps go missing: Ca2+ control of PMCA2 in Tmc1 deafness mutants
Article metadata:
Article title: Ca2+ regulation of PMCA2 calcium pump expression in hair cells of Tmc1 deafness mutants
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2607733123
Reference: Rolseth AB, Beurg M, Konrad DE, Augusta BK, Fettiplace R. Ca2+ regulation of PMCA2 calcium pump expression in hair cells of Tmc1 deafness mutants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2026;123:e2607733123. doi:10.1073/pnas.2607733123.
Lyrics:
Verse 1
In the hair-thin forest where the silence grows
Tiny gates swing open with the push and pull
But the calcium river don’t arrive like it used to
So the clean-up crew can’t do its job in full
Pre-Chorus
Less spark in the bundle, less signal to send
Vesicles waiting where the bright tips bend
If the tide don’t rise, the pump don’t land
Hold on—hold on—give it a chance again
Chorus
Bring the pump back, bring the light back in
Keep that calcium moving, let the balance win
Don’t let the power fade in the midnight spin
We’re riding that rhythm on a thin, thin pin
Verse 2
Early days are fragile, turnover running fast
Pumps on the surface, then they’re gone too soon
Block the traffic, starve the fuse, and it slips away
And the cell starts hearing its own last tune
Bridge
Neuroplastin comes late like a hand on the rail
Two days behind but it steadies the sail
If the anchor don’t catch, the engines strain
Mitochondria crying in the dark again
Final Chorus
Bring the pump back, bring the light back in
Keep that calcium moving, let the balance win
There’s a window wide open—don’t wait too long
We’re dub in the lab till the break of dawn
