While wandering around northern Virginia recently, Lyssa and I happened across a couple of new stores that could really use patronage as well as suggestions if they're going to take off. The first is a little pagan-type store on Route 50 west called Sticks and Stones (9970 Main Street; Fairfax, VA; 22031; phone 703-352-2343) which opened its doors just a week ago. Their selection's not bad for a brand new shop - a little thin on books but they have a good selection of practical materials and good prices all around. They're taking suggestions for things to stock and classes to …

DNA, the molecule underlying every form of life on this planet, is in essence a very long chain of sugar and phosphate molecules connected end to end ('long' being a relative term, of course - a molecule 5 centimeters long is gargantuan when you take into account the fact that it's only about 2.4 billionths of a meter in diameter). Each link in the chain is called a nucleotide, and is comprised of one of four possible compounds, adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. Adenine bonds with thymine and cytosine to guanine; each pairing has two possible orientations, for example A-T …