Good analogy, but there are some differences - your cells are not running one app, but just tens of thousands of routines with no clear definition of which routine is doing what function (many do multiple functions often with mix-match redundancy). And the mere fact that a routine is running is not enough, their activation state (posttranslational modifications, folding configurations, binding partners) or the values of all its internal variables is also important to know the exact function of each routine.
Even that is only theoretical - we generally know some level of detail to know what many of these routines are approximately up to, but rarely in the detail needed to figure out what a cell is up to in general.
In some ways studying what a cell is upto using our current methods is comparable in certainty to how we poll the US before elections.
Even that is only theoretical - we generally know some level of detail to know what many of these routines are approximately up to, but rarely in the detail needed to figure out what a cell is up to in general.
In some ways studying what a cell is upto using our current methods is comparable in certainty to how we poll the US before elections.