- DNA/RNA has 4 symbols ('atcg' or 'aucg'), is read three units (called bases) at a time, and there are 21 proteins (indicated by one letter abbreviations).
- The three drips on the chess piece could indicate a reading frame, which tells you how to chunk the bases. A different start point will lead to different amino acids, so this is important.
- DNA/RNA has stop codons, which indicate when to stop making a protein. These can either be delimiters between words, or be considered by their pigment based names (amber, ochre, opal).
seriously? don't tell me that coin-artist have a Phd in medicine or biochemistry

your post could be a good lecture, but of course not here.
Rob Myers is the mastermind behind the puzzle.
I read a lot of his work and found he mentioned Peter Saville in one of his blogs.