In an analogous biology construction set, genes are the physical building parts, and noncoding DNA is the “instruction sheet” on how to assemble specific models (i.e., animals and plants) from an assortment of the same parts. Like the Erector set, gene-derived protein parts can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled into a variety of different organisms. The body plans for each organism, encoded in the dark DNA, are directly connected to the dynamic environment via epigenetic mechanisms that interpret, translate, and control the activity of the protein-coding genes.
