Groundbreaking scientist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91
Posted on by Randy Slovacek

Jane Goodall, Who Changed Our Perceptions Of Chimpanzees, Dies At 91

Jane Goodall, the trailblazing primatologist who changed perceptions of relations between humans and animals, has died at the age of 91.

In addition to her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees, she inspired countless women to pursue careers in science.

JUST IN: Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

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— NPR (@npr.org) October 1, 2025 at 11:34 AM

From NPR:

Chimpanzees seemed to accept Goodall as one of their own, and the public was fascinated by both her easy familiarity with the creatures as well as her groundbreaking discoveries that showed just how much chimps are like humans.

“They kiss, embrace, hold hands, pat one another on the back. They show love and compassion, and they also show violence and have a kind of primitive warfare,” Goodall said. “It’s because the chimpanzees are so like us that we can then say, ‘What makes us different? What makes us unique?'”

“Jane was the first who actually went out and stayed with the chimpanzees and tamed them, and got them used to her,” says Dale Peterson, who wrote a biography of Goodall.

In 1965, she was on the cover of National Geographic, and she and the chimps were featured in numerous popular books and documentaries. To the public, she really had become like Tarzan’s Jane.

Read more at NPR.

While Goodall may be gone, her message – that humans are not apart from nature, but part of it –  lives on.

Rest well, Jane Goodall.

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