Self-organising Molecules

A DNA sequence? said Pliny the Elder. What would have been so bad about that?

It would have been scary, a DNA sequence floating on top of green tea. It might have been the beginning of a new super organism. CTRAT has an R in it though, so that's alright. DNA sequences are made up of C T A and G.

You are not thinking clearly, said Pliny. A DNA sequence that was, for arguments sake, floating on top of green tea would not necessarily be made up of letters. In fact we can be pretty certain it wouldn't. It would just look like a piece of one of those double helixes. The letters are a human construct.

I hadn't thought of that. Anyway, what do you think CTRAT means? Are you sure it was CTRAT?

No, it could have been CAROT or CRIST.

Why didn't you say so before?

I knew you wouldn't like either of those.

You're right. They sound too much like real words. I quite like self-organising molecules but there have to be limits.