Jane Goodall

British primatologist whose 60-year study of chimpanzees at Gombe fundamentally changed our understanding of primate behavior — demonstrating that chimpanzees use tools, have complex social structures, and engage in violence — and who has since become the world's most prominent conservation advocate.

Revolutionized primatology by establishing through long-term observation that chimpanzees use and make tools — forcing a redefinition of the human-animal distinction — and by revealing the complexity of chimpanzee social life, aggression, and maternal behavior, making her the foundational figure of modern primatology.