rna biochemistry and biotechnology describes various aspects of nucleic acid and protein structure, mainly rna structure and proteins, interacting with specific rna species. papers deal with dna protein interactions, telomerase, aminoacyl-trna synthetases, elongation factor tu, dna repair, rna structure, nmr technology, rna aptamer interaction of biological macromolecules with metal ions. two papers deal with theoretical aspects of rna structure production and computer modelling. many papers describe the possibility of commercial application of rna biotechnology. one article discusses the impact of direct democracy on basic science supporting biotechnology. readership: advanced graduate students, ph.d. students and young scientists as well as specialists in the field.