Authored by leading experts, this seminal text presents a straightforward and elementary account of coalescent theory, which is a central concept in the study of genetic sequence variation observed in a population. Rich in examples and illustrations it is ideal for a graduate course in statistics, population, molecular and medical genetics, bioscience and medicine, and for students studying the evolution of human population and disease. It is also an invaluable reference for bioscientists and statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry and academia - ;Coalescent theory is a central concept in the study of genetic sequence variation that probabilistically describes the genealogy relating the sampled sequences. In this text, besides fulfilling the glaring need for such a book, the authors present this theory in a straightforward and elementary manner and describe the statistical and computational methods used in modelling and analyzing genetic sequence variation. Rich in examples and illustrations the book covers basic concepts, complications arising from geographical structure and recombination before considering aspects of statistical inference based on these models. The book ends with chapters on Gene Mapping, which combines sequence variation data with phenotypic data (such as disease) to define areas of the genome where genes are responsible for the trait, and Human Evolution, a research area that is experiencing a renaissance due to the enormous amounts of data produced in molecular studies. Authored by leading experts, this seminal text presents a straightforward and elementary account of coalescent theory, which is a central concept in the study of genetic sequence variation observed in a population. It is highly suitable for a graduate course in statistics, population, molecular and medical genetics, bioscience and medicine and students studying the evolution of human population and disease, and will be an invaluable reference for bioscientists and statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry and academia - ;an excellent and timely book that should appeal to a variety of people in genetics and applied mathematics. - Professor Montgomery Slatkin (Berkeley);the authors are outstanding experts in the field, and the book is topical and timely. - Professor David Balding (Imperial College);Hein, Schierup and Wiuf have written the first general book on the coalescent. It is an engaging combination of clear mathematical derivation and real data examples. - Professor Joe Felsenstein (University of Washington)