Tony Samson

TS

Before I retired I taught bacterial and phage genetics etc. This field has progressed enormously thanks to advances in genome sequence analysis. My research field was animal virology.

Location Newcastle upon Tyne UK

Achievements

Activity

  • An extremely well designed and thorough in depth explanation and discussion of the human genome and its vast heterogeneity and potential. Many thanks to all those involved in the production and presentation of this excellent course.

  • I can think of only two basic reasons for having my genome sequenced.
    1) to inform me of any potential disease that can be treated
    2) to inform my progeny and their progeny so that they can persue any potential for disease.

  • Nora, according to the introduction of this course the human genome has about 3 billion base-pairs of DNA. Sequencing is done on one strand only so your figure of 6 billion reduces to 3 billion.

  • I suspect that none of the abovementioned sequence analyses would be able to pick up on developmental defects caused by aberrant epigenetic modifications (eg methylation/demethylation) during development.

  • I am surprised that there are only ~ 20,000 genes in the human genome.
    What percent of the 3 billion base pairs does that represent ?
    What is "junk" DNA and if much of this is really not used why does it remain and is not removed during evolution ?

  • The ever increasing rate and reliability of whole genome sequencing would in the future allow the production of for example ~ 100 of the "best" ie genetic disease-free genomes representing widely different communities around the world. However, if only those genomes were present in future generations then the population would not necessarily be...

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Dear Dr Dessain thank you for putting on this course for A level maths students. I only did "O" level and "AO" level at school about 60 years ago and joined this course to progress in maths. I could not comprehend about 90% of the course alas. I am not aware of any futurelearn courses that might enable me to progress in maths perhaps you know of some. Thank...

  • For question 4 the probability of throwing a 6 is 1/6 however one would surely need to throw the dice an infinite number of times to be certain of throwing a six.

  • LOST LOTS SLOT SLTO OTSL --------

  • I am lost again this time for ever !

  • When you say 10 ways to pick 3 from 5 is this taking into consideration the sequences within each set of 3 or is the sequence order irrelevant ?

  • I only managed to get two or three of the earlier q correct. Here is a simple question course followers might like to have a go at ?
    For what three contiguous whole numbers a,b,c, does a+b+c = axbxc
    I have found three different sets of such numbers.

  • I am obviously way out of my depth trying to follow this course alas.
    I only have " O " and "AO" level passes in maths while at school back in 1961 and I was not in the esteemed class for "A" level maths.
    However, I "discovered" the value for 0! for myself and also came up with a simple formula for testing whether a number is prime or not. Unfortunately the...

  • I am unable to address any of the questions so far on he course but I recall that in the Fibonacci series (viz 1,2,3,5,8, ... n (x) + n +1(x) the ratio of the n+1 to the n th value approaches the "golden ratio" ~ 1.6...However I find that any continued increasing summation of n +n +1 pairs also approaches the golden ratio.

  • In the previous question section for Q3, I recognised the 1,4,16,64 ...sequence as 4^0,4^1,4^2, and 4^4 but have no idea how to get the correct answer.

  • I could not access the video !

  • John, I too could not answer Q1 but I only found 4 ways of getting a total of 10 viz 1 3 6, 1 4 5, 2 3 5, 3 4 3, (note dice number order irrelevant).

  • I could not even answer q1 re 3 dice. I found just 4 ways of getting a total of 10 but no way of finding how many non-10 totals ! Help !

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Fermat's Last Theorem; no solutions for x^3 + y^3 = z^3
    Let the cubed root of 9 = x then 1^3 + 2^3 = x^3

    also 1^3 + 0^3 = 1^3 , and what about 1^3 + i^3 = ?^3
    (where i = square root of -1) what is the value of ? above

  • Maybe every even number greater than 7 is the sum of 4 prime numbers ?
    eg 8= 2+2+2+2 12= 2+2+3+5 20= 2+2+3+3+5+5 etc
    I call this Tony's Conjecture !

  • Question; does a hexagon/pentagon football surface always have just 12 pentagons ?

  • If you draw equal sized circles all close packed touching each other then fill in the spurs or gaps between the circles then one gets a shape which also can "tile" the flat plane.

  • As the step size for the blue line approach zero then it becomes the becomes the same as the true straight green line.

  • A straight tunnel between the two points on a spherical or other non-level surface would allow the correct shortest distance to be measured.

  • Why isn't the distance just x2 minus x1 ?

  • My choice would be Francis H.C. Crick who not only proposed the double-stranded structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) but also made important progress in elucidating the Genetic Code and pioneering the field of Molecular Biology.

  • Again I am lost but here is a simple problem for anybody. For what value of x is the xth root of x a maximum ? Why is it this special number ?

  • What is meant by "the semi diagonal of a square" ?

  • Again I am far out of my depth with modular arithmetic but is it possible to evaluate the factorial of 100 exactly ? What is the highest number for which its factorial has been calculated exactly ?

  • I have had a quick look at your list of prime numbers up to 199. There are 14
    which differ from the previous prime by 2, 9 which differ by 4, 6 by 6, 2 by 8,
    2 by 10 and 1 by 14. There is only 1 which differs from the previous prime by 1 viz 3.
    I assume someone has looked at a thousand or a million or more of the sequence of prime numbers to see if there...

  • I do not follow this at all. Surely 4x4^k +5 is not the same as 4(4^k +5) - 15 . Very confused re (4^k +5 ) and also -15 .

  • I wish I was as good as the above students doing this course. I am a bit overwhelmed but here is a question some of you might like to solve.
    For what value of x is the xth root of x a maximum ?

  • When I was about 18 I devised a simple formula for testing whether a number is prime or not. The formula works but is of no practical use because you have to be able to calculate the factorial of the number to be tested. The factorial of a large number is very difficult if not impossible to calculate.

  • I do not understand why it is NOT true that x^2 >= 0 that x>=0 as stated above. For what value of x is the statement false ?

  • When I was about 18 I devised a simple formula for testing whether a number is prime or not. The formula is of no practical use for "large" numbers as it requires the exact value of the factorial ( ! ) of the number to be tested.
    (note, 0!=1, 1!=1, 2!=2, 3!=6, 4!=24, --------10!= 10x9x8x7x6x5x4x3x2x1 = ??

  • Thanks again Lisa

  • I am confused again. This time with the worked examples re differentiation.
    All the numbers used so far are whole numbers some positive some negative.
    I have no problem with say +2 or -2 squared viz = +4 for both + & -signs. When it comes to +2 & -2 cubed we get +8 and -8 fine. But what about non-whole numbers ? Clearly +2.5 and -2.5 squared is =...

  • I was a science undergraduate student 5.5 decades ago way before covid made such a mess of conventional University teaching. I have always had a terrible memory (as far as I can remember), and I could only remember important concepts if I fully understood them. I did this by taking copious scribbled notes during lectures which I then copied out by clear...

  • @LisaMott Many thanks Lisa. I will have to get my head round it later.
    Out of all the futurelearn courses I have done your feed back to participants of this course has been incredibly rapid and germane. You must be working 24 hrs a day. Many thanks, Tony

  • How do you get theta =sin^-1 (-0.5) = -30 degrees and how does it follow that theta = 210 and 330 degrees ? I note, however, that 360 - 30 = 330 and also that 210 -30 = 180 degrees ! Most bizarre !

  • Wow ! what an answer Thanks Tony

  • I am lost again !

  • Alas I could not follow the above steps in the algebraic Division at all. Lost already !

  • What is the value of x^ i (where i is square root of -1 ?

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    A few years ago I asked myself "for what value of x is the x th root of x a maximum ? I found this out by trial and error a few years ago and was impressed by the answer. Those like me who did not know the answer can have ago ! I will confirm correct values later !

  • Help with calculus please.

  • Hi Lisa, I noted your interest in stats. I did a one year ancillary stats course at UCL approximately 10^1.8 years ago. I remember that we were taught in the Stats departmental library whose shelves were filled with a full collection of bound books containing logarithms to 20 places of decimals ! Also there were no electronic calculators and we did all the...

  • I have always had a great interest in Maths. I was not considered good enough to do "A" level Maths but I did "O" and "AO" level maths. I am particularly mystified by calculus but no futurelearn course addresses this so far. I hope this one can help. Tony

    I

  • rosalind, you can edit your work even after posting. If I make any errors in my posting I can nevertheless go back and edit it. Try it out Tony

  • Good point about nasal sprays. I have no knowledge of vaccination via such sprays alas. Tony

  • Isabel, good point about the muscle cells that are infected. I had not thought about that. I wish course organisers would respond to important questions. I have had no responses from any organisers alas. Tony.

  • Isobel, thanks for this I did not know that. The question still arises as to how the vector has been inactivated and whether it is reversible. Tony

  • @KarenaAndrusyshyn Thanks for you classroom number. How do I use it to make contact ? Tony

  • Many thanks for the course. I found week 3 to be the most useful and informative. I think that the structure of the covid virus and its genome should have been fully explained early in week 1 rather than some explanation in week 3. Unfortunately no feedback seems to have been given to any of the participants' questions alas.

  • I agree, see my comment above. Tony

  • Another excellent, lucid account. Why can the chimp adenovirus replicate in chimps but not in humans ? What prevents the virus vector from mutations that can cause the virus to be able to infect humans ?
    We may have to use the above vector several times each year to keep up with the mutant forms of the sars-2-coV19 virus. Antibodies against the chimp virus...

  • As far as I understand it will be injected into muscle cells as mentioned. The oral route would not work because the saRNA is delivered within fat globules (liposomes), which would rapidly be digested and destroyed via the alimentary canal.

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Professor Shattock's video is in my opinion the most lucid presentation so far. The timing of the events "today" etc should be fully dated viz day, month year as this video will be used over a long time period. Unfortunately many of the graph axes could not be read. Can one expand the pictures to read the information ? Can the web site mentioned at the end be...

  • Surely neither attenuated nor inactivated whole sars-CoV-2 virus is being used to vaccinate the population. If so when were these types of vaccine authorised for use ?

  • Randal, I know the flu vaccine viruses are grown in embryonated hens' eggs ie "in ovo" . Each egg can yield about 5x 10 ^ 9 viz 5,000,000,000 live virus . It is an extremely efficient process. I do not know how the sars-2-cov-19 is grown for the various vaccines but it may be in tissue culture. If it is grown in tissue culture then the cells will be...

  • Verushka, I agree. Please see my contribution above posted Feb 24. Tony

  • The covid-19 pandemic is caused by a coronavirus. These viruses have large single stranded RNA genomes. The RNA genome of these viruses is negative stranded which means it is complimentary to the messenger RNA made by the
    virus after it has infected cells. The mRNA codes for the many different virus proteins made in the virus-infected cells.
    RNA genomes do...

  • The above WHO video about the H1 N1 flu epidemic gave no information about what constituted the vaccine provided. Was the vaccine whole live H1N1 virus particles or was it killed virus or was it a mixture of the H and N surface glycoproteins of the flu virus ? The video showed hens' eggs being used to grow the live virus but nothing about the final...

  • Verushka, I endorse you excellent focused comments above. Tony

  • The menafrivac video was difficult to listen too and waffled a lot. It did not explain what a conjugate vaccine was and why conjugation transformed its utility in the field. I am glad that it worked so well even when transported at the higher temperatures experienced in Africa.

  • @KarenaAndrusyshyn Apparently you are a "follower" of mine. You have mentioned contributing to some teaching publication you are planning. I am interested in this but have no way of contacting you directly. Any suggestions ?

  • @KarenaAndrusyshyn Many thanks for your positive suggestion I would be happy to have a go. I will look up EFL but would imagine if anything that was to be used in schools would have to first be vetted by various committees before any go-ahead is given.

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Many thanks Derek Neale for this well planned, excellent and demanding course. One topic which all serious writers would probably benefit from would be advice about how to get published. If one cannot get a publisher on board should one try and publish oneself or publish on line ?
    I wish the magnificent group of people who have supported each other with...

  • I didn't even try naughty me ! Tony

  • Mark, why not try writing a couple of sentences in your own language then right click and chose translate into English. This may help.

  • To everyone who has done their assignment. If you want to hear your submission read aloud right click and chose "read aloud" option. I am amazed how clearly, accurately and quickly this is achieved. It is a good idea to get "someone else" to read your assignment to provide aural feedback. What would be even better for would-be writers is the ability to...

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Not my cup of tea as they say. I am surprised at the comments below. Many dismiss it, as do I, but a similar number applaud it. It just goes to show that we need a vast number of differently crafted texts to keep the reading public engaged. Hence there is always a void to be filled by you new budding writers.

  • The logical outcome of every budding writer reading and embracing all fiction that has been written, including that of budding writers, is surely a universal homogeneous writing style.

  • I read a little non-fiction, mainly scientific topics, and rarely read fiction. I must try harder with the fiction otherwise my own writing will appear too factual.
    I think it is biased to use the label "non-fiction" as if it is somehow has a lower status than fiction. I think it should adopt the more positive name "faction" for after all the subject matter...

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Layout. Very clearly presented info. I was particularly impressed by the lucid pdf especially versions A vs B. I wish that published books also printed the dialogues in that way. They do not, and thereby can provide ambiguity as to who is speaking. In my pedant guise I noticed there was a ? at the end of B but not at the end of A. There may be some...

  • To those who did not get reviews go to "Support" bottom right pink box and follow the instructions for feed back from futurelearn. It may take them a couple of days for a reply.

  • Tony Samson made a comment

    Boris was not good enough in many respects. He was called a runt by his contemporaries at school and was too feeble and frail to even contemplate fighting off the numerous bullies who thought their role in life was to make others miserable. He watched TV a lot and was particularly enamored by the good guys who put things to right by beating up the bullies....

  • Please see my mini draft in the preceding comments section. I am always writing these efforts in the wrong place !

  • Jasmine was a diminutive child who was encapsulated by her four elder sisters. She had to do what they wanted not what she wanted. She longed to break free and at last when her bully of a father left home her timid uninspiring mother Edith, who looked and behaved like an injured bear, eventually had a nervous breakdown. Jasmine, then aged seven, had realized...

  • When I read something so well crafted I think who am I to attempt to be a writer. There is so much good writing in the world who am I to litter it with relatively naive twitter ?

  • I have yet to dive in and write any significant amount of fiction. I have such a poor memory, it is even worse than before. If I had to describe my characters I think I would cut out pictures of people's faces from a magazine and stick them onto individual sheets of A4 and write a full description of each character as a physical aid memoir. Characters are not...

  • @TracyRitchie I like the image of a "beenhive" hairstyle (line 5). Did you mean "beanhive" ? If so what sort of beans would you suggest for a hairstyle ? Tony the pedant.

  • There is speculation that there are several parallel Universes, perhaps even an infinite number. Although as a scientist I cannot accept the hypothesis that parallel universes exist, because a hypothesis is not truly SCIENTIFIC unless it is in principle amenable to disproof. However, a fiction writer could embrace the concept of any universe, describe its...

  • Kathy, I concur with your confusion over this. Alas we do not get any live feedback from the course providers and must rely on the enormous wealth of our fellow learners advice. Tony

  • Anne Aubin, many thanks for your excellent thought provoking review. I do not read much fiction so the authors or their work you refer to is not familiar to me. You guessed right, my scientific background is in genetics and I lectured in genetics, virology, bacteriology etc. I would like to write some science fiction and so I thought I would give it a go for...

  • Yes Lindsey. There is nothing necessarily wrong with being judgemental. Most people make numerous judgements about people and objects they come across each day. I guess, however, that people in responsible positions should not necessarily inform the person of their negative opinions of them unless it is clearly in the interest of the recipient to do so.

  • I envisaged a gifted young man who became exceptionally competent at playing the pianoforte. He then progressed to playing the organ at his local church and soon excelled at that also. He was awarded the prestigious Organ Scholarship at Cambridge and a few years later was acclaimed to be the best cathedral organist in Great Britain. Then came a terrible...

  • @BrunaS. I agree because I would never think that any fiction writing was "an exact science".
    Referring to your third line from the bottom re "ug" I must admit I've not done much "ugging" recently due to lockdown. I assume "ugging" is when you approach someone you would normally hug but instead both parties make hug-like gestures two metres apart to avoid...

  • The care worker who eats her clients and collects their pensions.
    The church organist who cannot read music but plays faultlessly from memory.
    The disgraced ex TV chef who can no longer afford to buy food and lives on handouts.

  • Mark, a flat character would be two-dimensional, a round character would be three-dimensional. I wonder how a four-dimensional character would behave ?

  • @DeanLane I used to be a stereotype I've now regressed to a monotype.

  • Tracy, as one of the characters says in "The life of Brian"
    " I'm not unique." Nowadays people can be cloned.

  • John, try undoing the buttons and burst forth !

  • A flounder is a flat fish but it had the foresight to arrange both of it eyes on the top of its flat body !

  • Bill Watson is a very frustrated molecular biologist whose driving ambition is to receive a Nobel Prize in medicine. He is not impressed by the work of several of the Nobel Laureates of the recent past and firmly believes it is because he didn't go to public or private school and then on to one of the top rated Universities. Contacts made at these elite...

  • @AninaCastle I do not think it matters about chickens or eggs both are now available at the same time and can be accessed in either order at any time to suit the predicament. Logically the first chicken definitely preceded the first chicken egg because the immediate ancestor to the first recognized and named chicken (called a pre-chicken) produced an egg...

  • @MarkFoster Try writing a short story as if recounted by the younger man you were when in your teens or twenties.

  • @AnneAubin I am still uncertain about your "humour like a knife" as you have not given a example of this. Is your knife to be used to injure or kill or is it to carefully dissect out some unwanted growth etc ?

  • @ChristopherForbes Thanks for your encouraging and thoughtful reply. Maybe I should have a go at writing non-fiction.

  • Anne, I would like to read a sample of the sort of things you write which elicits the above "I use humour like a knife". I spend (waste?) too much time thinking of, to me, humorous rejoinders and short "Monty Python-like" scenarios. I doubt that I could be sufficiently self disciplined to write a decent story but I wish I could.