Das Genom als Text

Die Schriftmetapher revisited

Abstract

Metaphors from the source domain ‘text’ are salient in genetics and genomics. Some of these are technical terms, but they also have pedagogical functions when used in public media. This became apparent during the Human Genome Project, as earlier analyses show. They also show, however, that in genomics, in contrast to genetics, metaphors from the computer sciences appear similarly often. This article relates these findings to my analysis of material dealing with the fusion of genetic and genomic technologies and reproductive technologies and asks: Is the step from genetics to genomics apparent in the metaphors? In what ways does the history of the text-metaphor in the natural sciences indicate specific functions of these metaphors in today’s texts in public media, communicating the biosciences to the nonbioscientific public? The article discusses the aspect that the use of a metaphor as a technical term is in conflict with its use in the non-expert public.