Hi class,
One student pointed out that some of my statements about the biology of RNA secondary structure may not have been factual. Let me try to correct this to the extent I can. Anyone should feel free to add further information or corrections in the Comments section.
(1) RNA is not a protein. But it plays a key role "directing" the synthesis of proteins within the ribosomes of every cell.
(2) I may have referred to bases as "molecules," whereas they are just constituents--the entire RNA strand is a single giant molecule.
(3) The shapes formed by RNA are 3D, so can't really be drawn properly on a whiteboard. On the other hand, I don't think this invalidates the book's assertion that the "non-crossing" condition, the "matching" condition, and the "no sharp turns" conditions are usually all true. These were all that the algorithm really needed, not for there to be a good 2D drawing of the final shape.
Wikipedia: RNA
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