Jane Goodall's very first experience as a scientist

Since 1960, Jane Goodall's name has been synonymous with the study of wild chimpanzees and later with conservation and advocacy. And in more recent years, for a campaign to spread a message about the importance of hope. Throughout her 89 years, the experiences that Jane has had and the story she tells about those experiences has been central to the person we think of when we hear the name Jane. Her journey of scientific curiosity and understanding began at an early age.

In this interview of Dispatches from The Well, Kmele Foster sat down with Jane Goodall to discuss the significance that stories hold in her life. She shares one of her favorite stories, one of herself at age four, when she watched a chicken walk into a henhouse in preparation to lay an egg. Jane followed the hen into the henhouse and waited hours for the egg to arrive, much to her family's chagrin, who assumed her missing. "And I love that story," Jane explains, "because isn't it the making of a little scientist? Asking questions, not getting the right answer, deciding to find out for yourself, making a mistake, not giving up, and learning patience."