Women in Science

Jane Goodall

Primatologist

Before Jane Goodall (b. 1934) recorded her observations of chimpanzee behavior in Tanzania, humans were thought to be distinguished from the rest of the animal kingdom by the ability to make tools. In more than twenty-five years of study, Goodall disproved that and many other notions of primatology, contributing an enormous body of work whose impact has been felt in the fields from anthropology to human physiology. Impelled from childhood by a desire to study animals in Africa but lacking academic qualifications, Goodall worked as a waitress in England to earn her fare to Africa, where she met paleontologist Louis B. Leakey. He encouraged her to study the chimpanzee, which led to revolutionary findings, including the fact that chimps are indeed toolmakers. Goodall eventually turned her energies to the protection of chimps and other endangered species.

Be sure to read about how other female, African-American and other scientists helped shape our history and make our world what it is today.