Jane Goodall Changed How We See Ourselves

"She lived a long and profoundly influential life. Her work reshaped our understanding of the natural world and humanity's role within it, and her life inspired several generations of people across the globe. For many of us who chose careers in science, Goodall's example was formative-a reminder that rigorous scholarship could coexist with wonder, and that scientific inquiry need not be detached from compassion. Had it not been for trailblazers like Goodall, I might never have pursued anthropology myself."

"Defying convention, Goodall left the comforts of the armchair-or the zoo-to live among chimpanzees in the jungles of Tanzania. At just 26 years old, she arrived at what is now Gombe Stream National Park equipped with little beyond her notebook, binoculars, and an unorthodox vision that would transform her field. Her observations overturned long-held assumptions, and in the process revolutionized our very understanding of what makes us human."

Jane Goodall died on October 1 at age 91 after a long and influential life. Her field research at Gombe Stream National Park reshaped understanding of the natural world and humanity's relationship to other species. She lived among chimpanzees from age 26 with minimal equipment, observing behaviors that overturned assumptions about primate cognition and social complexity. Chimpanzees use tools, perform rituals, experience a range of emotions, form alliances, and engage in conflict and reconciliation. Her documentation of David Greybeard making a termite-fishing tool provided the first evidence of nonhuman tool-making, prompting a reevaluation of definitions of tool use and humanness.

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