One good analogy I've seen for this (I think expressed by @cstross) is that the DNA isn't the source code. It's the config file for a much, much larger process

One good analogy I've seen for this (I think expressed by @cstross) is that the DNA isn't the source code. It's the config file for a much, much larger process that only exists as a running blob of object code (i.e., all those cellular and molecular mechanisms, plus the environment, plus culture) and is never serialized anywhere.