Born in London, England, Valerie Jane Morris Goodall would become a renowned anthropologist most noted for her observations of the social life of chimpanzees.  Encouraged to pursue animal studies at a young age by her father, who gave her a lifelike stuffed chimpanzee as a gift, Goodall would later become a global leader in the study of chimpanzees and guide the effort to protect the species and their habitats.

Louis Leaky, a notable anthropologist, gave Goodall her first opportunity working in the anthropology field, assigning her to visit Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees.  In 1964, she returned to the United Kingdom to earn her doctorate in ethology from the University of Cambridge.

One of Goodall's contributions to the field of primatology was her discovery of tool-making among chimpanzees.  Before her observation, humans were considered the only animal to make tools, which set them apart from other animals.  This discovery prompted reconsideration among scientists on the definition of being human.

In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, which serves as an advocacy group that centers its mission on conservation and development programs in Africa.  Today, the JGI has 19 offices world-wide.  Currently, Goodall is a board member of Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida.

 Goodall has been married twice, first to wildlife photographer, Baron Hugo van Lawick, making her Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall.  In 1967, the couple had their only child; a son who they named Hugo.  The marriage ended in divorce in 1974, but she was remarried in 1975 to Derek Bryceson, a member of Tanzania's parliament and the director of its national parks.  Their marriage lasted until his death in 1980.

Goodall and her younger sister, Judy, are both lifelong sufferers of a rare neurological condition called prosopagnosia, which impairs the ability to recognize faces.  Despite her condition, Jane Goodall has received high honors for her environmental and humanitarian work, having been named the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 as well as United Nations Messenger of Peace in April, 2002.  Other honors include the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the French Legion of Honor, Medal of Tanzania, Japan's Kyoto Prize, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, the Gandhi-King Award for Nonviolence and the Spanish Premio Príncipe de Asturias. She is also a member of the advisory board of BBC Wildlife magazine.

Image: Dr. Jane Goodall at Hong Kong University on 24 October 2004.