Jane Goodall, Trailblazing Primatologist and Chimpanzee Conservationist, Has Died

"Iconic primatologist and conservation scientist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91 from natural causes, according to a statement from the Jane Goodall Institute, which she founded in 1977. Goodall was best known for her pioneering studies of chimpanzees in the wild. She visited Tanzania for the first time in 1960, when she was 26, and began observing chimpanzees at what was then called Gombe Stream Game Reserve."

"Unlike more traditional scientific observations, Goodall named the chimpanzees she watched, rather than referring to them by numbers, and she brought a keen eye and emotional connection to her view of their behaviors. Early in her work in Gombe, Goodall observed a chimpanzee she called David Greybeard at work foraging for termites using bits of plant matter. She documented tool use among chimps in an era when scientists believed that only humans had such capacity."

Jane Goodall died at age 91 of natural causes, leaving a legacy as a primatologist and conservation scientist. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. Goodall began observing chimpanzees in Gombe Stream Game Reserve in Tanzania in 1960 at age 26. She named individual chimpanzees and emphasized emotional understanding of their behaviors. Early observations included David Greybeard using plant matter to forage for termites, providing clear evidence of tool use among chimpanzees and challenging beliefs that only humans used tools. Goodall became an iconic scientist, inspired women in science, and later became an outspoken advocate for conservation.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com