Allan Charles Wilson

views updated

Allan Charles Wilson

1934-1991

American biochemist who, with Russell Higuchi, was the first to successfully clone cells from an extinct animal. Taking cells from the skin of a quagga, an extinct zebra species, Wilson and Higuchi were able to force them to replicate in the laboratory. While this is a far cry from cloning an entire animal, their experiment showed that it might be possible to someday clone extinct animals, restoring them to the Earth.

About this article

Allan Charles Wilson

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article