PAST, for phylogenetic analysis, statistics

[Richard Zander]

Paleontologists have been hiding a great free statistics package, PAST, that
includes a maximum parsimony module. What's nice about the max. parsimony
feature is you can use it (for small data sets) to get decay indexes in the
way we did with the old PAUP software (without fiddling with reverse
constraint). The program automatically opens nexus data files.

The PAST program also does dozens of statistical tests including various
univariate and multivariate analyses. The documentation is concise, clear
and a short course in options for analysis.

The programs are selected for paleontologists, but doubtless others will
find uses. (Heck, you can try all the tests on all your data sets and by
chance alone something will be publishable, I bet.)

The interface is slick and user-collegial. There are a few loose ends: when
the documentation says don't put question marks in the data set for such and
so module, they mean it . . . the program hangs.

It's free at:

http://folk.uio.no/ohammer/past/index.html
<http://folk.uio.no/ohammer/past/index.html>

______________________
Richard H. Zander
Bryology Group
Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299
richard.zander at mobot.org <mailto:richard.zander at mobot.org>
Voice: 314-577-5180
Websites:
http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
<http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/bfna/bfnamenu.htm>
http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/resbot/index.htm
<http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/resbot/index.htm>