bases are pointing away from the surface 

 and can be recognized by a complemen- 

 tary sequence, in a similar manner to the 

 RNA (left). The technology for determin- 

 ing the exact shape the nucleic acid would 

 take on the surface of such a solid is not 

 yet available, but by applying the basic 

 rules of chemistry, a model can be made. 

 Such a model suggests that it is undulat- 

 ing, folding back on itself every three 

 bases, forming a series of clefts. Each cleft 

 has a negative charge on one side and a 

 positive charge on the other, and these are 

 just the right distance apart to capture a 

 "head" or a "tail" of one of the twenty 

 amino acids that form proteins. The side 

 chain of the amino acid projects into the 

 space between the bases, which differs for 

 each of the three bases. Each cleft will ac- 

 cept only a particular molecule — that is, 

 the fish with a head and tail the right dis- 

 tance apart and with the correctly shaped 

 dorsal fin. When RNA is supported like a 

 fixed net (below), it can capture fish, and 

 different fish in each bit of the net. 



This model yields more. The fish are al- 

 ready oriented head-to-tail. A "condens- 

 ing agent," which is a molecule that can 

 remove water, such as polyphosphate, 

 aligns with the amino acids. When condi- 

 tions become dry and the condensing 

 agent removes the water, the fish automat- 

 ically join up in a line and separate from 

 the RNA template. They can't get at the 

 wrong tail or the dorsal fins, so no circles 

 or branched chains are made. Exactly the 

 same protein is synthesized each time, 

 with no half proteins or double ones. 



For years, scientists debated whether 

 proteins or RNA came first. Was it the 

 chicken or the egg? With RNA attached to 

 a solid, a compromise emerges: RNA and 

 proteins came together, and together they 

 lit the spark that resulted in all the wonder- 

 ful things that we call life. 





We take groups of all sizes who want to tour our distillery. And we're well equipped for folks who are physically handicapped, 



VISIT AMERICA'S OLDEST registered 

 distillery, and we'll take you to a room where 

 every drop of Jack Daniel's is made. 



You'll watch us cook a mash of corn, rye and 

 barley malt, in the exact amounts Jack Daniel 

 himself prescribed. And you'll tour this 

 stilltov^er — v/here the whiskey that 

 flows today is true to every principle 

 our founder set down. They say 

 seeing is believing. Though a taste 

 of Jack Daniel's, w^e believe, is all 

 the testimony that's needed. 



SMOOTH 

 TENNESSEE 



SIPPIN' 

 WHISKEY 



Tennessee Whiskey • 4043% alcohol by volume (80-85 proof) • Distilled and Bottled by 



Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Proprietor, Route 1, Lynchburg (Pop 361), Tennessee 37352 



P/oced In r/ic' Nalumai RcgiHer uf Hhloric Places hy the UnUcd Stales Government. 



13 



