---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an…"
description: "\"Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and tangled audiotape on the floor of the car in the dark.\" — Kary Mullis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png"
---

#  Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and…

![“Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and tangled audiotape on the floor of the car in the dark.” quote by Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png)

> “Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and tangled audiotape on the floor of the car in the dark.”

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

DNA is likened to a tangled, unwound cassette, emphasizing its complex, seemingly chaotic structure that nonetheless holds genetic information.

**In simple terms:** DNA is a tangled, unwound cassette.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate complexity in simplicity.

Themes

science metaphor complexity

Mood

curious educational

Type

scientific creative

When to use this quote

- education
- science communication
- research methodology
- public understanding

Key Concepts

genetics information theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this image help you grasp DNA?
- What are the limits of such analogies?

A Different Perspective

Metaphor may oversimplify molecular detail.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dna/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

## Related quotes

> [I think that music, beats, melody, sound are a natural part of our DNA, our vibe. It’s just a part of the cycle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/i-think-that-music-beats-melody-sound-are-a-natural-part-of-our-dna/)

[Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/)

> [“Last of the men in hats hops of the coil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-garvey/last-of-the-men-in-hats-hops-of-the-coil/)

[Guy Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-garvey/)

> [My wife was fitted with a coil. For about 18 months I hated it! She used to pick up CB signals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-monkhouse/my-wife-was-fitted-with-a-coil-for-about-18-months-i-hated-it-she/)

[Bob Monkhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-monkhouse/)

> [“Art Nouveau was coil-envy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/art-nouveau-was-coil-envy/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [I would that I were low laid in my grave. I am not worth this coil that's made for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-would-that-i-were-low-laid-in-my-grave-i-am-not-worth-this-coil/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Then he would shed this mortal coil, once and for all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/then-he-would-shed-this-mortal-coil-once-and-for-all/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [When a coil is operated with currents of very high frequency, beautiful brush effects may be produced, even if the coil be of comparatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/when-a-coil-is-operated-with-currents-of-very-high-frequency/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [As technology has improved, our digital lives have only grown more tangled and cluttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/as-technology-has-improved-our-digital-lives-have-only-grown-more/)

[Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/)

> [I always had short hair, and I hated my short hair. I was always mistaken for a boy, but my mom wouldn't let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-always-had-short-hair-and-i-hated-my-short-hair-i-was-always/)

[Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/)

> [“Build a tangled bank.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/build-a-tangled-bank/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [I always thought it would be a simple matter to lie wi' a woman, he said softly. And yet... I want to fall on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-always-thought-it-would-be-a-simple-matter-to-lie-wi-a-woman-he/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [The intimate and the infinite are tangled together in this incandescent book, lit by Aristotle’s bright spark of a daughter. Lucid even in nightmare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-endicott/the-intimate-and-the-infinite-are-tangled-together-in-this/)

[Marina Endicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-endicott/)

> [I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-the-way-he-she/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Your hair is a tangled mess,"he said, thinking he liked it that way, like a lion's mane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/your-hair-is-a-tangled-mess-he-said-thinking-he-liked-it-that-way/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [Curiosity is a raw and genuine sign from deep inside our tangled psyches, and we'd do well to follow the direction it points us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-bronson/curiosity-is-a-raw-and-genuine-sign-from-deep-inside-our-tangled/)

[Po Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/po-bronson/)

## More by Kary Mullis

> [People don't realize that molecules themselves are somewhat hypothetical, and that their interactions are more so, and that the biological reactions are even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/people-don-t-realize-that-molecules-themselves-are-somewhat/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [My father, Cecil Banks Mullis, and mother, formerly Bernice Alberta Barker, grew up in rural North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/my-father-cecil-banks-mullis-and-mother-formerly-bernice-alberta/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [My mother often mailed me articles from 'Reader's Digest' about advances in DNA chemistry. No matter how I tried to explain it to her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/my-mother-often-mailed-me-articles-from-reader-s-digest-about/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Religion is inwardly focused and driven only to sustain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/religion-is-inwardly-focused-and-driven-only-to-sustain-itself/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Do we care about these people that are HIV-positive whose lives have been ruined? Those are the people I'm the most concerned about. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/do-we-care-about-these-people-that-are-hiv-positive-whose-lives-have/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [I love a microphone and a big crowd; I'm an entertainer, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/i-love-a-microphone-and-a-big-crowd-i-m-an-entertainer-i-guess/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Science consistently produces a new crop of miraculous truths and dazzling devices every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/science-consistently-produces-a-new-crop-of-miraculous-truths-and/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Here's a bunch of people practising a new set of behavioural norms. Apparently it didn't work because a lot of them got sick. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/here-s-a-bunch-of-people-practising-a-new-set-of-behavioural-norms/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [People realize this man knows what the hell's going on and nobody else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/people-realize-this-man-knows-what-the-hell-s-going-on-and-nobody/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Science, like nothing else among the institutions of mankind, grows like a weed every year. Art is subject to arbitrary fashion, religion is inwardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/science-like-nothing-else-among-the-institutions-of-mankind-grows/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [I'm not politically correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/i-m-not-politically-correct/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Fish don't know much about water, and people didn't know much about air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/fish-don-t-know-much-about-water-and-people-didn-t-know-much-about-air/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [My mother would give my brothers and me a pile of catalogues and let us pick what we wanted for Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/my-mother-would-give-my-brothers-and-me-a-pile-of-catalogues-and-let/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [They can't pooh-pooh me now, because of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/they-can-t-pooh-pooh-me-now-because-of-who-i-am/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Sometimes a good idea comes to you when you are not looking for it. Through an improbable combination of coincidence, naivete and lucky mistakes ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/sometimes-a-good-idea-comes-to-you-when-you-are-not-looking-for-it/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

[Explore all 48 Kary Mullis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

## More Car quotes

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [I don't own a yacht or a flashy car. I've always had safe cars because I do so much driving. I don't think I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/i-don-t-own-a-yacht-or-a-flashy-car-i-ve-always-had-safe-cars-because/)

[Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

> [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/i-mean-you-ve-kind-of-got-the-track-down-especially-with-ovals-the/)

[Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/)

> [I was with Dre when he was just selling tapes. He didn't have a car, a license or a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/i-was-with-dre-when-he-was-just-selling-tapes-he-didn-t-have-a-car-a/)

[Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/)

> ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/)

[Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/)

> [The things that don't happen to us that we'll never know didn't happen to us. The nonstories. The extra minute to find the briefcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/the-things-that-don-t-happen-to-us-that-we-ll-never-know-didn-t/)

[Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/)

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [It is amazing how may drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/it-is-amazing-how-may-drivers-even-at-the-formula-one-level-think/)

[Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/)

> [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/)

[Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/)

> [I don't have to have the biggest house or the biggest car or the longest mink, but quality of life is really glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-don-t-have-to-have-the-biggest-house-or-the-biggest-car-or-the/)

[Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/)

Browse all 6,849 Car quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and tangled audiotape on the floor of the car in the dark.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kary Mullis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an-unwound-and-tangled-audiotape/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Car"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an-unwound-and-tangled-audiotape/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/kary-mullis-13943_car_natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an_323255.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Natural DNA is a tractless coil, like an unwound and tangled audiotape on the floor of the car in the dark.” — Kary Mullis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kary Mullis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Natural DNA is a tractless coil,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an-unwound-and-tangled-audiotape/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/natural-dna-is-a-tractless-coil-like-an-unwound-and-tangled-audiotape/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
