Jane Goodall: The Research That Changed Our View of Chimpanzees

In 1960, Jane Goodall began groundbreaking research in Tanzania, living among chimpanzees. The research highlighted the similarities between chimpanzees and humans.

Goodall, without a biology degree, began her research on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Observing the chimpanzees, she discovered that they use tools, challenging the perception that tool use is an exclusively human trait.

Goodall gave the chimpanzees names and recorded their behaviors, provoking reactions from scientists who considered her approach 'anthropomorphic'. In the 1970s, she documented conflicts between chimpanzee communities, highlighting the violence that also exists in the animal world.

Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots network, promoting environmental and animal protection. Today, at 90 years old, she continues to advocate for nature conservation.

Goodall's legacy is the change in the way we perceive our place on the planet, recognizing empathy as a research tool and nature protection as a moral obligation. In 2025, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.