TMRCA is observable from the branch lengths of a coalescent
Fabian Freund, Daniel Teofilov, Émilien Joly
The paper develops a model-free estimator for the product of genealogical tree height and scaled mutation rate using site frequency spectra, showing it is unbiased and performs better than tree height averaging in simulations.
bioRxiv · Jul 26, 2026 · PreprintGenetics