Genome.

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Wed May 07, 2003 12:46 am

Dear Pete,
In spite of your ( and my) adoration for Leonardo (oh yes!) Fibonacci, g-gnomic research relies on "proof by exhaustion", as opposed to other forms of proof, direct or indirect. In particular, proof by induction ends , like chewing-gum, stuck on a bed-post or on the pavement.
Mind you, I've always held a fascination for Doric columns, which were built in the golden ratio.
No Pete, it has to be Euclid for you.
(That line feels like a lyric in an unwritten song).
What was Euclid's first name?......Costas?....Spiros?....Mikis?....Jimmy?
There's a prize for anyone who can declare the first name of Euclid.
My hunch is it's "Pete".
In anticipation for a forename,
DNArew.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed May 07, 2003 1:28 am

Dear DNArew,
'Euclid for you'
'Euclid for me'
has a certain ring to it. I am truly euclided or euclied.

Euclid of Alexandria lends itself to a forename of Alex

Alex Euclid

but then again it could be
Iclid Euclid
did he marry Weclid?
and have a son called Heclid and a daughter Herclid?

I'm still going to count my shells and petals though...it's more exciting than counting thereoms. Probably our Leonard has the Fibonacci genes due to his golden voice.

Regards

Euclid of Matlock

John the Shorts · Post by **John the Shorts** » Thu May 08, 2003 1:04 am

Proof by induction, while mathematically sound, cannot be scientifically sound as it depends on the original assumption being correct. This is the fundamental difference between pure mathematics and physics.

JTS (Can man ever prove anything other than his own beliefs?)

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Fri May 09, 2003 5:33 pm

Dear John the Shorts (what a cracking signature!),
In a sense you are absolutely right. Advancement in mathematics depends on proof, while advancement in physics can only happen where there is evidence of disproof: a theory holds until the time when evidence contradicts it , e.g. Newton's and Einstein's theories. The driving force of physics is to OVERTHROW previously held "truths".
Returning to mathematics, I am continually fascinated by the Socrates V Plato debate about the nature of maths: are the laws out there in the world and it's the mathematician's job to find them (Plato), or are they the product of beautiful minds (Socrates) ?
This debate has raged for centuries, and will do so in the future.

.
In the meantime, my g-gnomes are working on your back-tracked Y chromosome. "Scientific" results will be posted A.S.A.P.
Yours, in the appliance of science,
DNArew.

John the Shorts · Post by **John the Shorts** » Sat May 10, 2003 1:23 pm

DNArew

Alas I fear your research will prove inconclusive as my mother was a Vogon and my father was a Romulan so it's the Z-chromosome you need to concentrate on.

JTS

linmag · Post by **linmag** » Sat May 10, 2003 6:47 pm

Don't spend too long in the appliance of science, DNArew, you could get very dizzy in there

Kush · Post by **Kush** » Sun May 11, 2003 7:13 pm

are the laws out there in the world and it's the mathematician's job to find them (Plato), or are they the product of beautiful minds (Socrates) ?

Andrew...I didnt know this was a Plato vs Socrates debate. However it is my opinion that both cases are true. The laws of nature are out there but the way we - in our infancy - perceive them is limited to our 3-dimensional minds and what we perceive to be the 3-dimensional universe. Therefore, the laws of nature as we perceive them to be are a product of our beautiful but limited 3-dimensional minds. We cannot comprehend a higher-than-3 dimensional world or universe.
Imagine how would we appear to the flatlanders (i.e., the hypothetical inhabitants of a 2-dimensional world) ? Another analogy I like is the 11 blind men trying to understand what is an elephant by touching different parts of it (i.e. the trunk, the limbs etc etc)

As Einstein said "The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible."

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Mon May 12, 2003 2:13 am

Dear John the Shorts,
Z chromosome? Really?

I had to reach for the last page in my Chambers Dictionary: the final two entries may give a clue

regarding your origins.
Zyrian: a member of a people of north-eastern Russia; their Finno-Urgic language.
Zythum: a kind of beer made by the ancient Egyptians, highly recommended by Diodorus Siculus, a writer of the first century B.C.
As for me, I reckon that a bunch of Zyrians got together, partied with plundered zythum, during or after which successful coupling occured, and produced......John the Shorts.

Please also note that the ancient Egyptians didn't wear long trousers. This, of course, doesn't constitute scientific evidence of your roots, but I'll throw something in : "Z" is one of my favourite Greek films. Costa-Garvas directed it and Mikis Theodorakis provided the musical score.
Russia, Egypt, Greece...? The research continues!
Yours, in movies, dictionaries and myths,
DNArew.

George.Wright · Post by **George.Wright** » Mon May 12, 2003 10:49 am

DNandrew, i think the Z should be Zygote......................in honour of the mysterious creation.
Georges

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Wed May 14, 2003 1:52 am

Dear Georges (aka Queen Mary II ),
Re zygote, it is the product of the union of two gametes; by extension, the individual developing from that product:( the word rooted in the Greek zygon, meaning yolk).
In none of this , with respect, do I see " the mysterious creation" (sic). Instead I think you mean (?) sex, which is not so mysterious, but can certainly be creative

.
Nevertheless, your message has been forwarded to the laboratory and will be placed in a special centrifuge, currently spinning at 5 zillion r.p.s.
Be pleased , therefore, that you are one of science's little helpers

.
Yours, outside the machine, but looking in,
DNArew.

George.Wright · Post by **George.Wright** » Wed May 14, 2003 2:30 pm

I would see the image of the serpent eating it's tail.............however
Why Queen Mary ?
or am i in a zymotic state again.....................
Georges
ps the combination of letters to create me are endless

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Sat May 17, 2003 2:52 am

Dear Margaret,
This being an up-date of a "sigh and tific" extract, I can reveal that D.N.A. investigations have uncovered indelible genetic links between Margaret and Nicolai Andreivich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), the Russian composer of orchestral masterpieces such as "Capriccio Espagnol", "Easter Festival" and "Scheherazade".
He had strong musical links with Mussorgsky, Borodin, Glazunov, Diagilev, and Stravinsky was his pupil. On a personal note (for the first and only time in what is, after all, objective research), I wish I had your
fin de siecle roots. The Borodin link is particularly significant, since Finland's greatest composer, Sibelius, admitted that his first symphony was "pure Borodin". Enough of meanderings! Margaret, you are inextricably linked, via jeans, to Rimsky-Korsakov. I hope you can cope with these life-enhancing findings and remember: although the colour may fade the more you wash them, jeans remain jeans

.
Yours, in a spin,
DNArew.

margaret · Post by **margaret** » Mon May 19, 2003 12:28 am

Dear Andrew,
How amazing that I am decended from such wonderful musical stock. It must surely explain my longtime love of music of all (or most ) varieties. I think the musical gene must have become seriously diluted when it came to me. I gave up trying to play the piano after a short time, and despite a desire to sing like Joan Baez, I was rejected not once but twice, when trying to join the school choir! Guess I'll have to stick to the midnight choir, or shake my tambourine while hiding in the wings! I shall search my classical collection for Rimsky-Korsokov and hope for inspiration!

Yours musically, Margaret

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Mon May 19, 2003 3:03 pm

Dear Margaret,
At school, I used to call him "Rips Its Corsets Off", which could be interpreted as a sign of a dysfunctional childhood. However, I'm glad you have taken the news so well. Can I recommend singing in the bath or shower? If performed alone, it gives one the feeling of almost-adequacy.
My bathroom tiles get a regular hammering of "Nessun Dorma", and disintegrate when I hit "vincera, vincera, vincerAAAAAAAA".
Yours in genetics and operatics,
DNArew.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon May 19, 2003 3:56 pm

LOVing your research, Andrew!

Margaret ~ Your foray into the world of musicianship sounds as ill-fated as mine

.

Genome.

To DNAndrew