Scientists create tiniest life form but they're unsure what it is

New York

FOR years, DNA and computer operating systems served as clichés for each other: DNA is the "operating software" of living cells in the same way that system software is the "DNA" of a computer.

The problem with the comparison, as shown by research two decades in the making, is how much biologists still don't know about DNA, or genomes. That's an especially problematic development, given the industry sprouting up around genetic manipulation.