New Phylogenetics Software

[James Lyons-Weiler]

Apologies for semi-redundant and cross postings.  New information
included:

*********************************************************************
************ Announcing RASA 1.1.1 and RASA Plot 1.1.1 **************
*********************************************************************
(updated 5/24/96)

Nascent software for the Mac that will perform "Relative Apparent
Synapomorphy Analysis", a test for the presence of phylogenetic
signal (a.k.a. cladistic hierarchy) in any type of discrete character
data matrix (morphological or molecular), is now available at the
following URL as a binhexed self-extracting archive:

http://loco.biology.unr.edu/archives/rasa/rasa.html

***   and by anonymous ftp at

loco.biology.unr.edu (pub) (rasa)

There you'll find rasa.sea, which contains the following:

RASA 1.1.1      <-- Reads a data file, measures signal,
                    and writes a file readable by:

RASA Plot 1.1.1 <-- Allows you to view in graphical and tabular
                    form the results of the test.

RASA.help       <-- A help file that you might find, well,
                    helpful.

sample1         <-- A sample data file with no signal.
sample2         <-- A sample data file with signal.

README-1.1.1    <-- A file with FAQs, bugs, etc.

Although this software is in the beta stage, I consider the output to be
reliable.  The reference for the algorithm and detailed justification
and discussion of limitations of the approach can be expected in July:

Lyons-Weiler, J., G.A. Hoelzer, and R.J. Tausch. 1996. Relative Apparent
Synapomorphy Analysis (RASA) I: the statistical measurement of
phylogenetic signal.  Molecular Biology and Evolution, in press.

A more sophisticated version in under development.  Send questions off the
list; FAQs will be included in the README file as they arrive.

Direct inquiries to weiler at ers.unr.edu.

                                        James
_______________________________________________________________________________

  \  /   /    \  /           JAMES LYONS-WEILER           ______________
   \/   /      \/                                        |..............|
    \  /       /                                         |..............|
     \/       /              DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN         |..............|
      \      /               ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND     |...***........|
       \    /                CONSERVATION BIOLOGY        |..*****.......|
        \  /                                             |.******.......|
         \/                  1000 VALLEY ROAD/186        |********......|
    ______________           THE UNIVERSITY OF            --------------
   | will perform |          NEVADA, RENO
   |  statistical |          RENO, NEVADA 89512-0013
   | phylogenetic |
   | analyses for |         "(Biology) is not religion; if it were, we'd
   |    food      |          have a much easier time raising money."
    --------------                       -Leon Lederman
_______________________________________________________________________________