9. DNA is not a Blueprint

The language that we use to discuss the role that DNA has in creating the proteins that make up our body is incredibly deterministic and not at all what actually happens at the cellular level. When you build a house a single centralized set of instructions makes a lot of sense. But when you consider that DNA exists in every single cell--we have to reassess what it means to build an organism where the parts are calling the shots.

Related reading:

DNA is not a Blueprint by Sergio Pistoi

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/dna-is-not-a-blueprint/

Braiding Sweetgrass

#genetics #DNA #superorganism