How Jane Goodall Became a Notable Scientists Without a Degree

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When Jane Goodall first arrived at Gombe Stream Game Reserve in what is now Tanzania in 1960, little was known about the world of chimpanzees. But the 26-year-old secretary would go on to make groundbreaking discoveries through her immersive, unorthodox observations, even as her findings were scoffed at by scientists early on.

In fact, Goodall, who died on October 1, lacked formal academic training, but her approach proved to be key to her method of recording personality traits and naming her subjects, rather than numbering them as tradition dictated at the time.

Goodall couldn't afford to attend college

Born in London in 1934, Goodall had long been fascinated by both Africa and animals, according to Anita Silvey, author of the 2015 biography Untamed: The Wi