Kingman

Kingman's coalescent is a mathematical model used to understand how genetic lineages from a population trace back to common ancestors over time. Imagine following several family trees backward; eventually, these lines merge as ancestors are shared. The model predicts the typical times and patterns of these mergers, helping geneticists study population history and diversity. It's widely used in evolutionary biology to simplify complex genetic data and infer past events like population size changes or migration. Despite its abstract nature, Kingman’s coalescent offers a powerful framework to analyze genetic variation with clarity and precision.