'They hold hands, they embrace, they kiss': The woman who changed our view of chimps - and human beings

Jane Goodall is a world-famous primatologist who changed the way people think about chimpanzees and even about what it means to be human. In 1960, at just 26 years old and with no formal scientific training, Jane traveled from England to the Gombe Stream Game Reserve in Tanzania. She had always loved animals, spending her childhood watching insects and reading books like Dr Dolittle and Tarzan. After working as a waitress and a film production assistant to save money, she finally made it to Africa, where she met Dr Louis Leakey, a well-known scientist. Leakey was so impressed by Jane’s passion and knowledge that he hired her as his assistant and later asked her to study wild chimpanzees.

Because of the rules at the time, Jane’s mother had to go with her to Tanzania as a chaperone. The first few months were tough. Both Jane and her mother got malaria, and the chimpanzees would disappear whenever they heard people coming. But Jane was determined. She wore the same clothes every day and moved slowly, never trying to force her way into the chimps’ world. She waited patiently by fruit trees, letting the chimps get used to her presence. Over time, the chimpanzees realized she was not a threat, and Jane was able to observe them closely. She noticed that chimpanzees have strong family bonds and communicate with each other in ways that are very similar to humans. They hold hands, hug, and even kiss when they meet after being apart.

Jane made several groundbreaking discoveries. She saw chimpanzees using sticks as tools to get termites out of mounds, something scientists had thought only humans could do. She also found out that chimps are not just vegetarians; they hunt and eat meat together. Instead of giving the chimps numbers, Jane gave them names and recognized their unique personalities. She saw that they could be gentle and caring, but also aggressive and even violent at times. Jane’s research showed that humans and chimpanzees are much more alike than people had thought. We share about 98. 6 percent of our DNA with chimps, and many of our behaviors and emotions are similar. Her work made people realize that humans are not as different from other animals as we once believed, and it encouraged us to think more about how we treat animals and the environment.