Dr. Jane Goodall's pioneering research into the behavior of chimpanzees sparked a wave of interest in conservation and empowered generations of women to enter the field of science.  

Goodall's legacy will live on after the Jane Goodall Institute, established by her in 1977, confirmed she died at age 91 of natural causes in Los Angeles on Oct. 1. As one of her final acts, she recorded an in-depth interview on the new Netflix show "Famous Last Words" to reveal more of her final thoughts and wishes for the world, and the most significant part of final message was her desire for people to keep fighting for the health of the planet amid pollution and rising global temperatures.

"I would say, I was somebody sent to this world to try to give people hope in dark times," Goodall said, as Rolling Stone transcribed. "Because without hope, we fall into apathy and do nothing. And in the dark times that we are living in now, if people don't have hope, we're doomed. And how can we bring little children into this dark world we've created and let them be surrounded by people who've given up."

Later in the production, she spoke directly to the audience, in a segment the show presented by having the interviewer, Brad Falchuk, leave the room so she could record it with no one directly watching the footage, and that footage promised not to air until after her death, per the agreement of how the show would function.

"Above all, I want you to think about the fact that we are part, when we are on Planet Earth, we are part of Mother Nature," she said. "We depend on Mother Nature for clean air, for water, for food, for clothing, for everything. And as we destroy one ecosystem after another, as we create worse climate change, worse loss of diversity, we have to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for the children alive today and for those that will follow.

"You have it in your power to make a difference. Don't give up. There is a future for you. Do your best while you are still on this beautiful Planet Earth."

Evolutionary biologist and science historian Stephen Jay Gould once said Goodall's work studying chimpanzees "represents one of the Western world's great scientific achievements," per The New York Times. 

After arriving in Gombe, Tanzania, in 1960 to study chimpanzees, Goodall made the groundbreaking discovery that chimpanzees can make and use tools. This, combined with her observations surrounding courtship, mating, births, and parenting, challenged the notion that humans alone were capable of complex behaviors and emotions. It may seem more obvious now, but at the time, it was revelatory.

Paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, Goodall's mentor, went so far as to say, per the Times: "Now we must redefine 'tool,' redefine 'man,' or accept chimpanzees as humans."

Goodall's storytelling talents helped her adventures come to life. In 1967, she released the well-received book "My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees." Twenty-seven other books followed, including "In the Shadow of Man" and "Through a Window" in 1971 and 1990, respectively.  

Since she founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, it has grown into one of the world's largest nonprofit global research and conservation organizations. 

The institute's Roots and Shoots program, launched in 1991, suggests Goodall's conservation work will continue well into the future, as it inspires young people to contribute to a cleaner, healthier future by taking action in their local communities. 

Ongoing projects include beach cleanups, pollinator garden planting, and initiatives to rescue books from ending up in landfills, where they'd contribute to atmospheric pollution. 

Goodall received honors as a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002. The Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation, which she established in 2017, will ensure her mission to make the world a better place for people and animals will grow. 

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The endowment encourages donors to support operating programs and chapters within her community, and it lists Goodall's reasons for hope — demonstrating how she deeply understood the power of coming together to create long-lasting change.

"I like to envision the whole world as a jigsaw puzzle. If you look at the whole picture, it is overwhelming and terrifying, but if you work on your little part of the jigsaw and know that people all over the world are working on their little bits, that's what will give you hope," Goodall said.

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