These models are called relaxed molecular clocks because they represent an intermediate position between the 'strict' molecular clock hypothesis and Joseph Felsenstein's many-rates model and are made possible through MCMC techniques that explore a weighted range of tree topologies and simultaneously estimate parameters of the chosen substitution model.
Estes modelos denomínanse reloxos moleculares relaxados porque representan unha posición intermedia entre a hipótese do reloxo molecular "estrita" e o modelo de moitas taxas de Joseph Felsenstein, e fanse posibles por medio de técnicas de MCMC que exploran un rango ponderado de topoloxías de árbore e simultaneamente estiman os parámetros do modelo de substitución elixido.