Over at the Skeptical Zone, Petrushka has written a post arguing that “DNA is a template, not a code.” In today’s post, I’d like to briefly review the reasons why we claim that the genetic code is a literal reality, not a metaphor, and explain exactly what a code is. But before I do that, I’d like to critique Petrushka’s short post, titled, What Is A Code? (October 20, 2015): Lots of heat surrounding this question. My take is that a code must be a system for conveying meaning. In my view, an essential feature of a code is that it must be abstract and and able to convey novel messages. DNA fails at he level of abstraction. Whatever “meaning” … Continue reading The Skeptical Zone asks: What is a code?