Metaphors of DNA: a review of the popularisation processes

This article offers a 1953-present day review of th e models that have popularised DNA, one of the fundamental molecules of biochemistry. DNA has beco m an iconic concept over the 20 th century, overcoming the boundaries of science and spreading into literature, painting, sculpture or religion. T his work analyses the reasons why DNA has penetrated so ciety so effectively and examines some of the main metaphors used by the scientists and scientific pop ularisers. Furthermore, this article, taken from th e author’s PhD thesis, describes some recent populari sation models for this molecule.

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