Page 10 - Applied Probability

Preface
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ics. Everything considered, I recommend that instructors cover the chapters
in the order indicated and determine the speed of the course by the math-
ematical sophistication of the students. There is more than ample material
here for a full semester, so it is pointless to rush through basic theory if
students encounter difficulty early on. Later chapters can be covered at the
discretion of the instructor.
The matter of biological requirements is also problematic. Neither the
brief review of population genetics in Chapter 1 nor the primer of molecu-
lar genetics in Appendix A is a substitute for a rigorous course in modern
genetics. Although many of my classroom students have had little prior
exposure to genetics, I have always insisted that those intending to do re-
search fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Students in the mathematical
sciences occasionally complain to me that learning genetics is hopeless be-
cause the field is in such rapid flux. While I am sympathetic to the difficult
intellectual hurdles ahead of them, this attitude is a prescription for failure.
Although genetics lacks the theoretical coherence of mathematics, there are
fundamental principles and crucial facts that will never change. My advice
is follow your curiosity and learn as much genetics as you can. In scientific
research chance always favors the well prepared.
The incredible flowering of mathematical and statistical genetics over
the past two decades makes it impossible to summarize the field in one
book. I am acutely aware of my failings in this regard, and it pains me to
exclude most of the history of the subject and to leave unmentioned so many
important ideas. I apologize to my colleagues. My own work receives too
much attention; my only excuse is that I understand it best. Fortunately,
the recent book of Michael Waterman delves into many of the important
topics in molecular genetics missing here [4].
I have many people to thank for helping me in this endeavor. Carol
Newton nurtured my early career in mathematical biology and encouraged
me to write a book in the first place. Daniel Weeks and Eric Sobel deserve
special credit for their many helpful suggestions for improving the text. My
genetics colleagues David Burke, Richard Gatti, and Miriam Meisler read
and corrected my first draft of Appendix A. David Cox, Richard Gatti, and
James Lake kindly contributed data. Janet Sinsheimer and Hongyu Zhao
provided numerical examples for Chapters 10 and 12, respectively. Many
students at UCLA and Michigan checked the problems and proofread the
text. Let me single out Ruzong Fan, Ethan Lange, Laura Lazzeroni, Eric
Schadt, Janet Sinsheimer, Heather Stringham, and Wynn Walker for their
diligence. David Hunter kindly prepared the index. Doubtless a few errors
remain, and I would be grateful to readers for their corrections. Finally, I
thank my wife, Genie, to whom I dedicate this book, for her patience and
love.