Phylogenetic Inference, Selection Theory and History of Science Selected Papers of A.W.F. Edwards with Commentaries

About this book

A. W. F. Edwards is among the world's most influential mathematical geneticists. One of the last students of R. A. Fisher, he pioneered the statistical analysis of phylogeny in collaboration with L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, and he promoted Fisher's concept of likelihood as a standard of inductive statistical and scientific inference. In Phylogenetic Inference, Selection Theory and History of Science, edited by philosopher of science, Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther, key papers are reproduced alongside commentaries by leading scientists, discussing Edwards's influence on their own research and on thinking in their field overall. Edwards's own remarks, based on an extensive interview, are also included, and these help to contextualise his contribution and legacy. This book is intended as a resource not only to anyone interested in the history and philosophy of genetics, statistics, and science, but for scientists seeking to develop new algorithmic and statistical methods for understanding the genetic relationships between and among species both extant and extinct

Contents

Introduction Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther
Part I. Selected Papers of A.W.F. Edwards
- The reconstruction of evolution (1963) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Reconstruction of evolutionary trees (1964) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Analysis of human evolution under random genetic drift (1964) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza and I.Barrai
- Analysis of human evolution (1965) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- A method for cluster analysis (1965) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Studying human evolution by computer (1966)
- Estimation procedures for evolutionary branching processes (1966) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Fundamental theorem of natural selection (1967)
- Phylogenetic analysis: models and estimation procedures (1967) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Statistical methods in scientific inference (1969)
- Estimation of the branch points of a branching diffusion process (1970)
- Review of Evolution and the Genetics of Populations, Volume 2 by S. Wright (1971)
- Affinity as revealed by differences in gene frequencies (1972) with L.L.Cavalli-Sforza
- Likelihood (1972)
- The history of likelihood (1974)
- Are Mendel's results really too close? (1986)
- Probability and likelihood in genetic counselling (1989)
- The Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection (1994)
- Assessing molecular phylogenies (1995)
- The origin and early development of the method of minimum evolution for the reconstruction of evolutionary trees (1996)
- Darwin and Mendel united: the contributions of Fisher, Haldane and Wright up to 1932 (2001)
- Human genetic diversity: Lewontin's fallacy (2003)
- Parsimony and computers (2004)
- Statistical methods for evolutionary trees (2009)
- Mathematizing Darwin (2011)
- Robert Heath Lock and his textbook of genetics, 1906 (2013)
- R.A.Fisher's gene-centred view of evolution and the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection (2014)
- Analysing nature's experiment: Fisher's inductive theorem of natural selection (2016)

Part II. Commentaries
- Anthony Edwards' seminal contributions to phylogenetics, likelihood, and understanding RA Fisher and the history of genetics Walter Bodmer: Anthony Edwards, Luca Cavalli-Sforza, and phylogenies Joseph Felsenstein
- The Historic Split and Merger of Gene Trees and Species Trees Rasmus Nielsen
- Likelihood and the Comparative Method in Evolutionary Biology Mark Pagel
- Likelihood inference in models for the genetic diversity of populations Elizabeth Thompson
- A.W.F. Edwards and the origin of Bayesian phylogenetics Ziheng Yang
- A conversation about Fisher (1930, 1958) Warren J. Ewens
- Edwards on Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection Samir Okasha
- A.W. F. Edwards, R. A. Fisher and the Genetical Theory of Natural Selection Maurizio Esposito
- Reading and misreading Fisher: Anthony Edwards and the history of population genetics Jean-Baptiste Grodwohl
- Variance-partitioning and classification in human population genetics Noah A. Rosenberg

Part III. Interviews with A.W.F Edwards
- Day 1: Selection Theory
- Day 2: Phylogenetic Inference
- Day 3: Edwards and Fisher

Part IV. A.W.F. Edwards
- A.W.F. Edwards: Curriculum Vitae
- A.W.F. Edwards: List of Scientific Publications
- Appendices: A Geometric Interpretation of Edwards 2003 Amir Najmi
- The Genetic Reification of “Race”: A Story of Two Mathematical Methods Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther
- “My Fisher” A.W.F. Edwards
- 1963 Antonio's Theorem

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Biography

Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther is a philosopher of science, researcher, writer, educator, diver, seeker and explorer.


Contributors:
- Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther
- Walter Bodmer
- Joseph Felsenstein
- Rasmus Nielsen
- Mark Pagel
- Elizabeth Thompson
- Ziheng Yang
- Warren J. Ewens
- Samir Okasha
- Maurizio Esposito
- Jean-Baptiste Grodwohl
- Noah A. Rosenberg
- Amir Najmi
- A. W. F. Edwards