crispr
"CRISPR is like graphene. It's one of those exciting new technologies science nerds will invariably invoke as a sort of game changer for every industry ..."
"Editing with CRISPR is like placing a cursor between two letters in a word processing document and hitting "delete" or clicking "paste." And the ..."
"Compared to previous genetic manipulating technologies, CRISPR "is like going from using a Model T to a Lamborghini to do the same thing," says Alan Davidson (BSc '83, PhD '91), a Professor of Molecular Genetics who studies CRISPR in bacteria, as well as viruses' ability to circumvent its actions. "It's like a microwave instead of a campfire. CRISPR is not so much a eureka moment as a eureka technology.""
"One analogy that I particularly enjoy is that CRISPR is like the "search and replace function" on your computer's word processing software."
"What's special is that CAS9 is very precise, almost like a DNA surgeon. The revolution began when scientists figured out that the CRISPR system is programmable. You can just give it a copy of DNA you want to modify and put the system into a living cell. If the old techniques of genetic manipulation were like a map, CRISPR is like a GPS system."
"Compared to TALENs and zinc-finger nucleases, this was like trading in rusty scissors for a computer-controlled laser cutter. "
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.