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Jane Goodall (3 Apr 1934 - ) English primatologist, anthropologist and ethnologist who spent 45 years studying chimpanzee social behaviour. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute. Short biography of Jane Goodall >>

Jane Goodall - Some humans are mathematicians

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“Some humans are mathematicians—others aren't.”

— Jane Goodall

From In the Shadow of Man

More Jane Goodall quotes on science >>

This quote, in fact, was not primarily directed to criticize the ability of some humans as mathematicians, but was only used as an example of how skill sets can vary within a species.

Writing in her classic book, In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall outlines the ability of chimpanzees to use tools, such as using stems and sticks to capture insects from recesses. She also describes ways observed in a laboratory setting for chimpanzees making tools—such as fitting tubes together, or uncoiling a wire, to reach food placed outside the cage.

However, even “with tuition” to show how a stone hand axe could break a piece of wood into splinters suitable to obtain food from a narrow pipe, exhaustive tests with one chimpanzee yielded no emulation. However, Goodall notes, many other chimpanzees would need to be tested in the same way before drawing the conclusion that the species in general is unable to perform this act, just as

“Some humans are mathematicians—others aren't.”

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Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882) -- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan: In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) ...(more by Sagan)

Albert Einstein: I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by Einstein)

Richard Feynman: It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly. ...(more by Feynman)

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