Vincent Sarich

Vincent M. Sarich
BornDecember 13, 1934 (1934-12-13)
DiedOctober 27, 2012 (2012-10-28) (aged 77)
Alma materIllinois Institute of Technology (BS)
University of California, Berkeley (MA, PhD)
Known forResearch in human evolution[1]
AwardsKistler Prize (2004)
Scientific career
FieldsAnthropology
InstitutionsUniversity of Auckland
Doctoral advisorSherwood Washburn

Vincent Matthew Sarich (December 13, 1934 – October 27, 2012) was an American anthropologist and biochemist. He was Professor Emeritus in anthropology at University of California, Berkeley.

Sarich and his PhD advisor, Allan Wilson, used molecular data to estimate that humans and chimpanzees have a common ancestor just four to five million years ago. Their paper on their finding was published in 1967. At the time, scientists considered the common ancestor to live ten to 30 million years ago, and their revised estimate has become well accepted. Sarich generated controversy with his support for analyzing human behavior and populations in evolutionary terms.

  1. ^ "Kistler Prize 2004 Recipient". Foundation for the Future. Archived from the original on 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-04-04.