RIP Jane Goodall (April 3, 1934 - October 1, 2025)

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NMaude

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I stumbled across a news article on YouTube that the ground-breaking primatologist, Jane Goodall, who's pioneering studies of wild Chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania revolutionised our understanding of our closest living relatives has died aged 91. I knew she was getting on in years but I wasn't aware she was so old but she had a good run with her making important contributions to science.




She had been assigned to study Chimpanzees by the late, great archaeologist and paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey who come believe that the study of Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas would give insight into the behaviour of early Hominids, what was remarkable is that Jane Goodall had no formal scientific training (Which appears to have been a blessing in disguise).
 
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Outsiders are often needed.
https://phys.org/news/2025-10-unconventional-paths-nobels.html
Fosse we remember from Weaver's role in "Gorillas-"

Jane, from Gombe'

I think there was a lady who wanted to study Orangutans--but her name escapes me.

Jane was quite brave. We have seen what just one or two chimps can do. One of the males she studied she gave the name "Satan."

I would rather be in a cage with several half starved lions. That's a mafia hit...strictly business, nothing personal.

Those lions can only kill you.
A chimpanzee wants to murder you.

More
https://phys.org/news/2025-10-life-legacy-chimpanzee-wildlife-advocate.html
 
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publiusr said:
Fosse we remember from Weaver's role in "Gorillas-"
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I wonder when we'll get a movie and/or HBO mini-series about her? In that case I wonder which actress would play Jane Goodall.

publiusr said:
Outsiders are often needed.
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The Trimates

publiusr said:
I think there was a lady who wanted to study Orangutans--but her name escapes me.
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Birutė Galdikas

An interesting acting about her influence on the field of primatology is that when Louis Leakey appointed her to study Chimpanzees the field was overwhelmingly male dominated but now with her death the field is roughly split between men and women which IMO is a good thing.

From PBS news hour:


One of the world’s most beloved and influential primatologists and conservationists has died. Jane Goodall spent more than half a century studying chimpanzees and advocating for animal rights and environmental protection. As Jeffrey Brown reports, Goodall helped change the way we look at animals and their behavior.
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NMaude said:
I stumbled across a news article on YouTube that the ground-breaking primatologist, Jane Goodall, who's pioneering studies of wild Chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania revolutionised our understanding of our closest living relatives has died aged 91. I knew she was getting on in years but I wasn't aware she was so old but she had a good run with her making important contributions to science.

She had been assigned to study Chimpanzees by the late, great archaeologist and paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey who come believe that the study of Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas would give insight into the behaviour of early Hominids, what was remarkable is that Jane Goodall had no formal scientific training (Which appears to have been a blessing in disguise).
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Which meant that she went in with no preconceptions, no favored theories to focus on building up, no despised theories to work to debunk... she just watched, recorded, and followed where the actual facts led her.

Quite a change from:
“…Science as it is really practiced, caught up in the turmoil of personalities, with Truth always out of reach, and truths too often limping along, wounded in the turf wars and drive-bys of gangs of Ph.D.-totin’ grant-heads.”
Orson Scott Card: “Future on Ice”
 
BlackBat242 said:
Which meant that she went in with no preconceptions, no favored theories to focus on building up, no despised theories to work to debunk... she just watched, recorded, and followed where the actual facts led her.
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That's what I thought too, I don't recall the details but Louis Leakey had deliberately sought out young women with no formal qualifications in the fields of primatology and anthropology for this very reason and it turned out he was right.
 
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Given that there was a film made about Diane Fossey in the late 80s called "Gorillas in the Mist" where Fossey was played by Sigourney Weaver I wonder how long it will be before a similar film or even better an HBO style TV series (Small-screen with a big-screen budget) is made about Jane Goodall? No doubt they'd have to use several different actresses to play her at different ages but I wonder who would play her?​
 
This would be the best time to do so--here the chimps have to be CGI for safety's sake:

The lover vs fighter idea is false
https://phys.org/news/2024-04-bonobos-aggressive-previously-thought.amphttps://phys.org/news/2025-11-lethal-aggression-chimpanzees-larger-territories.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2025-11-gelada-baboons-fake-fertility-young.htmlugh
https://phys.org/news/2025-11-pursuit-bigfoot-people-truth-mystery.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-footsteps-jane-goodall-wildlife-pathologist.html
At least she didn't live to see this
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bonobos-peaceful-reputation-rival-group.html
Probably already the case...but my first thought was...have we corrupted them too.

The day humanity died? When Robin Williams passed away.

All that goes on now? That's just post- mortem twitching.
 
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I stumbled across this 13 year old video of a Bonobo (Pigmy Chimpanzee aka the nice Chimps) cooking, I wonder if Jane Goodall was aware of this and if so what were her thoughts:

 
Here's a video from the 60 Minutes Archive concerning Jane Goodall:


In 2018, Anderson Cooper profiled world-renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen. At the time, his friend Jane Goodall explained: "I use the power of storytelling and writing. And Tom uses the power of images." Goodall died today at the age of 91.
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