Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating02:48

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

37.1K
Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time.
37.1K
Bridge rectifier01:24

Bridge rectifier

1.5K
The bridge rectifier is essential in electronics for efficiently converting alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Comprised of four diodes configured in a bridge layout, this rectifier effectively processes both the positive and negative halves of the AC waveform, making it superior to half-wave and full-wave center-tapped rectifiers in terms of voltage regulation and output stability.
Operationally, the bridge rectifier allows current flow through two of its diodes during each...
1.5K
Statistical Significance01:50

Statistical Significance

21.3K
Once data is collected from both the experimental and the control groups, a statistical analysis is conducted to find out if there are meaningful differences between the two groups. A statistical analysis determines how likely any difference found is due to chance (and thus not meaningful). In psychology, group differences are considered meaningful, or significant, if the odds that these differences occurred by chance alone are 5 percent or less. Stated another way, if we repeated this...
21.3K
Half wave rectifier01:20

Half wave rectifier

2.4K
A half-wave rectifier is a fundamental circuit in electronics, designed to convert alternating current (AC) voltage into a unidirectional voltage. It utilizes the simplest form of diode rectification, where the circuit comprises a single diode in series with a load resistor and an AC power source.
2.4K
Full wave rectifier01:22

Full wave rectifier

2.7K
A full-wave rectifier is a device that converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) and is more efficient than its half-wave counterpart. It typically includes a center-tapped transformer, two diodes, and a load resistor. The secondary winding of the transformer is divided to provide two equal voltages of opposite polarities, which is the pivotal element of full-wave rectification.
2.7K
Standing Waves01:17

Standing Waves

5.4K
Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a glass of milk kept in a refrigerator, which is one example of standing waves. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed or created by the superposition of two or more identical moving waves in opposite directions. The waves move through each other, with their...
5.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genetic ancestry and monogenic disease risk in the Scottish Traveller founder population.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Lasting Lower Rhine-Meuse forager ancestry shaped Bell Beaker expansion.

Nature·2026
Same author

Hospital-Based Genomic Surveillance of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>: Trends in Resistance and Infection.

Biology·2025
Same author

Genomic evidence supports the "long chronology" for the peopling of Sahul.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Analysis of Selective Pressure on Ancient Human Mitochondrial Genomes Reveals the Presence of Widespread Sequencing Artefacts.

International journal of molecular sciences·2025
Same author

Functional and sequence-based metagenomics to uncover carbohydrate-degrading enzymes from composting samples.

Applied microbiology and biotechnology·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Dendrochronological Dating and Provenancing of String Instruments
10:26

Dendrochronological Dating and Provenancing of String Instruments

Published on: October 6, 2022

3.2K

Rectifying long-standing misconceptions about the ρ statistic for molecular dating.

Vincent Macaulay1, Pedro Soares2,3,4, Martin B Richards5

  • 1School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|February 20, 2019
PubMed
Summary

The ρ (rho) statistic is a valid tool for estimating clade age in phylogenetic trees. Mathematical proofs and simulations show ρ estimates are unbiased and reliable for genetic dating.

More Related Videos

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research
09:41

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Published on: August 2, 2021

3.5K
High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels
10:07

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels

Published on: January 27, 2013

15.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Dendrochronological Dating and Provenancing of String Instruments
10:26

Dendrochronological Dating and Provenancing of String Instruments

Published on: October 6, 2022

3.2K
Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research
09:41

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Published on: August 2, 2021

3.5K
High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels
10:07

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels

Published on: January 27, 2013

15.6K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Computational Biology
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • The ρ (rho) statistic is a simple estimator for clade age in phylogenetic trees, calculated by averaging mutations from samples to the root.
  • A significant critique questions the reliability of ρ in genetic dating, impacting its application in evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To rigorously evaluate and address the long-standing critique of the ρ statistic in genetic dating.
  • To mathematically and computationally demonstrate the validity and accuracy of ρ-based age estimations.

Main Methods:

  • Formal mathematical arguments were employed to derive theoretical properties of the ρ statistic.
  • A simulation study was conducted to empirically test the performance of ρ estimates against known parameters.
  • Comparison of ρ estimates with Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods and established standard error calculations.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that ρ estimates are statistically unbiased, refuting the primary critique.
  • Showed no systematic difference between ρ and Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimates.
  • Identified flaws in the critique's methodology for calculating confidence intervals and standard errors.

Conclusions:

  • The critique against the ρ statistic for genetic dating is unfounded.
  • ρ dating, alongside ML and Bayesian inference, is confirmed as a robust and useful method for determining evolutionary timescales.
  • Established methods for calculating standard errors associated with ρ are largely unproblematic.