Allan C. Wilson (October 18, 1934 – July 21, 1991) was a pioneer in the use of molecular approaches to understand evolutionary change and revolutionized the study of human evolution. He was one of the most controversial figures in post-war biology and created one of the most provocative theories about man’s origins. He argued that the origins of the human species could be seen through what he termed a “molecular clock.” This was a way of dating, not from fossils, but from the genetic mutations that had accumulated since they parted from a common ancestor. The molecular clock...