Phylogenetics PG_Q0010

Title : Using phylogenies to reveal rare events
Author :   Hamish G. Spencer
Year Publish : 2009
Place of Publish : New Zealand Science Review
Abstract :

Evolutionary biology is sometimes described slightly pejoratively
as being an historical science, dealing in past events whose
uniqueness hinders the derivation of the explanatory generalities
that characterise first-class science. I want to argue here that
rare – even unique – historical events can be studied with full
scientific rigour, in such a way that we learn something quite
general about evolutionary processes. I discuss two examples
from my own work on marine snails from the family Trochidae,
although others could easily have been chosen. Crucially, my
examples rely on the use of phylogenetic methods, championed
so effectively by David Penny.