The big component missing in the analogy is gene expression. That’s what makes DNA behave differently from simple instruction mappings.

I guess we could visualize it as a series of drains, where the size of the hole can be modulated. Since gene expression can decrease or increase the rate at which DNA is transcribed

I have been using this for a while. What would you suggest instead of:

> The workers, raw materials, and signals to turn sections on or off are separate.

People are used to the idea of thermostats using on/off to maintain temperature which is not a terrible association. As you say gene expression is different, but I can’t find a better analogy.

That's why I figured an analogy would include nucleotides as letters that make up words rather than acting on their own to be able to encompass all that (and I love that in trying to help craft better analogies in a chain where im also railing against analogies)