"In a computer, the equivalent of the DNA is information held in system promises." #readingToday

Computer engineers sometimes try to fix errors at the level of a broken part, but if that takes too long, they often reinstall the entire computer, even though this means killing it or taking it out of service. This is fine as long as nothing is lost by throwing away the part. In biology, the atomicity of cells is what allows the immune system to replace parts without killing an organism, as long as there is sufficient redundancy. Killing a skin cell is no problem, but killing off neurons or anti-body memory cells would impair the organism. In a computer, the equivalent of the DNA is information held in system promises.

In Search of Certainty, Mark Burgess, 2013