Palindromes: genome sequences to wordplay. Who knew?
•September 3, 2025•
by DM Williamee
A palindrome is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward.” Many are entertaining, and palindrome phrases are notoriously hard to create on one’s own. From Wikipedia, “The word ‘palindrome’ was introduced by English poet and writer Henry Peacham in 1638. The concept of a palindrome can be dated to the 3rd century BCE, although no examples survive. The earliest known examples are the 1st-century CE Latin acrostic word square, the Sator Square (which contains both word and sentence palindromes), and the 4th-century Greek Byzantine sentence palindrome, “nipson anomemata me monan opsin. (which in English is “Wash the sins, not only the face”). Palindromes are also found in music (the table canon and crab canon) and biological structures (most genomes include palindromic gene sequences).” The humble palindrome knows how to get around and travels in some cultivated circles as well.