The John Templeton Foundation has awarded the 2021 Templeton Prize to world-renowned ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, whose groundbreaking discoveries have changed humanity's understanding of its role in the natural world.

The annual prize, which includes a monetary award of more than $1.5 million, honors individuals whose achievements have advanced the late Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision of harnessing science to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind's place and purpose within it. Unlike Goodall's many other accolades, the Templeton Prize specifically celebrates her scientific and spiritual curiosity and rewards her unrelenting effort to connect humanity to a greater purpose. She is the first ethologist and the fourth woman to receive the prize since its inception in 1972.

In the 1960s, Goodall brought about a revolution in how scientists and the public perceive the mental, emotional, and social complexity of animals. She was the first to observe that chimpanzees engaged in activities such as tool creation previously believed to be exclusive to humans, and also proved that they have individual personalities, exhibit forethought, and live in complex societies, much like human beings. Through her observations, Goodall, who founded the institute that bears her name in 1977, showed that under certain circumstances chimps also wage war and, like humans, are capable of showing compassion. Over the course of her long career, Goodall has championed the value of all lifeforms on Earth, changing both scientific practice and the culture at large.

"I have learned more about the two sides of human nature, and I am convinced that there are more good than bad people," said Goodall, in her acceptance statement for the prize. "There are so many tackling seemingly impossible tasks and succeeding. Only when head and heart work in harmony can we attain our true human potential."

"We are delighted and honored to award Dr. Jane Goodall this year, as her achievements go beyond the traditional parameters of scientific research to define our perception of what it means to be human," said Templeton Foundation president Heather Templeton Dill. "Her discoveries have profoundly altered the world's view of animal intelligence and enriched our understanding of humanity in a way that is both humbling and exalting. Ultimately, her work exemplifies the kind of humility, spiritual curiosity, and discovery that my grandfather, John Templeton, wrote and spoke about during his life."

(Photo credit: Tim Cole/Templeton Prize)