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The legacy of Jane Goodall —from chimp whisperer to changing how science understands primates
01 October 2026

The legacy of Jane Goodall —from chimp whisperer to changing how science understands primates

Big Ideas

About

Jane Goodall’s radical ideas that animals have individual personalities, relationships and even emotions reshaped how we understand primates. It also sparked fierce ethical debates that are still playing out today: Do great apes have rights? What responsibilities do researchers carry when studying minds so much like our own? Jan Goodall wasn't just a trailblazing scientist. She became one of the most influential conservationists of the last century and created the foundation of modern primatology. 

City of Science: Jane Goodall and Her Legacy was presented at the CUNY Graduate Center

Speakers

Kristin AndrewsProfessor of Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center

David LahtiAssociate professor of Biology and Psychology at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center

Jessica RothmanProgram director in Human Biology and professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center

Dr Mark Hauber (host)Professor of Biology and Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and executive director of the Advanced Science Research Center