Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist, anthropologist, and champion of conservation, has died at the age of 91. In a post on her Facebook page Wednesday, the Jane Goodall Institute said Goodall, who was based in London, had died from natural causes while she was in California during a US speaking tour. "Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world," the institute wrote. The English scientist changed the field of primatology starting in 1960 when she traveled to Tanzania at age 26, ABC News reports.
Most earlier research had focused on captive chimpanzees. Goodall's pioneering work observing wild chimpanzees upended prevailing scientific beliefs: She documented that chimps use tools, show distinct personalities, and share a surprising range of behaviors with humans—including everything from affection and cooperation to violence and conflict. The National Geographic Society, which funded her studies, published her account of the lives of chimpanzee troop members including Flo, David Greybeard, and Fifi in 1963, the New York Times reports. She also detailed the struggles of living at a remote research station and trying to get close to the troop.
Goodall remained based in Tanzania for decades, establishing a research project that continues today. "She has made the most important contributions of any primatologist in history," Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky tells the Washington Post. "She's simply the patron saint of the field." Reflecting on her career in a 2020 interview, Goodall remarked on the human-like traits she saw in chimpanzees, highlighting moments of tenderness—such as hand-holding and embracing—as well as instances of aggression. "The fact that they can actually be violent and brutal and have a kind of war, but also loving and altruistic," she said. In 2016, she said, "We've been so jolly arrogant to think we're so special."
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Known for her tireless advocacy, Goodall spent much of her life traveling the globe, urging protection of the natural world and inspiring generations to act on behalf of the planet. Even in her 80s, she was still traveling around 300 days a year, trying to draw attention to issues including deforestation and commercial hunters' slaughter of hundreds of gorillas a year, the Post reports. In January, Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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