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Communicating Genetics pp 143–177Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Code View: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life

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Abstract

The grand metaphor of “genetic code” inspired many images in popular communication. In the mid-to-late twentieth century, when DNA’s structure was deduced and the DNA-to-protein mechanism deciphered, rich images were devised to visualize the code’s technical detail and significance. When it became clear that protein-coding DNA comprises only a small portion of DNA and when sequencing technologies generated enormous DNA data, the code metaphor assumed an expanded connotation. Sophisticated digital tools were developed for scientists to examine this expanded code, but in popular communication, code images (in such forms as collages and games) became simplistic, vague, though entertaining. Given the anticipated personalized genome sequencing, we need considerable research and efforts to develop public-facing visual representations of the genetic code that are interactive, meaningful, and accessible.

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  1. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Han Yu

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  1. Han Yu
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Yu, H. (2017). The Code View: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life. In: Communicating Genetics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58779-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58779-4_5

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