Coalescent theory

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In genetics, coalescent theory states that all genes in a population will coalesce to a single common ancestor. Using this theory, one can determine the probability that any two genetic sequences will coalesce in a given generation, which provides a prediction of how long ago the most recent common ancestor to those sequences lived. A recent [book] on coalescent theory was written by Jotun Hein, and [initial chapters] of another book by John Wakeley are available free online. For brief overviews, see Magnus Nordborg's [introduction], Gil McVean's [course notes], or Alan Rogers's [course notes], all available online.

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