Jane Goodall began her journey studying wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream Research Centre in 1960. Her arrival at Gombe Stream wasn’t just the start of a research project; it was the beginning of a shift in how we understand animals, intelligence, and even ourselves.
The Unlikely Scientist
Because Goodall had no science degree or lab coat, she had no prior understanding that animals were not supposed to have personalities. In fact, Dr. Louis Leakey hired her for this study mainly because she had no prior training, assuming that she would be more open-minded. She was not bound by academic dogma, so she used her deep love for animals to observe the Tanzanian forest with fresh eyes. In Goodall’s essay, My Life with the Chimpanzees, she shares that she did not realize it was unscientific to speak of animals’ personalities or their rational thoughts, and that attributing human characteristics to animals was not respectable in scientific circles
Breaking Scientific Norms
Her discovery began in the forest when she noticed a chimpanzee named David Greybeard strip leaves off a twig and use it to fish for termites. This creation of a tool, something science had declared as uniquely human, led to the observation that many intellectual abilities that had been thought of as such were actually present in non-humans. Jane had uncovered culture in the animal environment. After writing about this to Leakey, a famous telegram followed:
“Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.”
Jane Goodall
Legacy and Ripples
Jane started to name her chimps, describe their personalities, and speak of their emotions in her reports, sparking criticism from her editors. They insisted she replace the pronouns “he” and “she” with “it”, and she refused. By and large, people were fascinated by this information and observation of the use of “human” tools by chimps. Her work at Gombe led to the longest-running wild chimpanzee study in history, revealing complex social bonds, maternal care, territoriality, and warfare. For instance, she found that high-ranking female chimps had better reproductive outcomes, offering evolutionary insight into social capital and inequality. These discoveries offered a bridge between human culture and animal culture, giving us a way to analyse human behaviour through the animal environment. Jane Goodall, a world-renowned ethologist and conservationist, challenged humanity to consider the moral and ethical implications of our scientific and economic systems.
Broader Impacts
Jane continued to impact the world beyond science. Her humanization of science was inspired by a more empathetic lens of traditional ethology. Additionally, after witnessing deforestation in Africa and worldwide, Goodall turned increasingly to conservation and activism. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, becoming a global advocate for wildlife protection and ethical consumerism. Her work helped shift norms around animal testing, captivity, and the moral consideration of non-human species. She continued to advocate for chimpanzees and their habitat until her death on Oct. 1, 2025.Â
Jane Goodall didn’t just study chimpanzees; she listened to them. In doing so, she taught me to listen to the planet and to each other and that science must serve compassion. Her legacy is in the belief that every life, human or otherwise, deserves to be protected and respected.Â