Jane Goodall jokes about sending Trump, Musk, Putin, Xi, Netanyahu to space in final interview
London: In one of her final recorded interviews, legendary primatologist Jane Goodall humorously suggested sending several world leaders and billionaires on a one-way trip into space, comparing their aggressive traits to those of alpha male chimpanzees.
The remarks appear in Famous Last Words, a new Netflix documentary released after Goodall’s death last week at the age of 91. Speaking to interviewer Brad Falchuk, Goodall said she would launch Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Benjamin Netanyahu “all on one of Musk’s spaceships” bound for a distant planet.
“There are people I don’t like, and I would like to put them on one of Musk’s spaceships and send them all off to the planet he’s sure he’s going to discover,” Goodall said. Asked if Musk himself would be aboard, she quipped, “Oh, absolutely. He’d be the host.”
Goodall, known for her pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior and lifelong environmental advocacy, drew parallels between aggressive human leaders and alpha chimpanzees. “We get two types of alpha,” she explained. “One rules through aggression and doesn’t last long. The other uses intelligence and alliances — they endure much longer.”
In earlier interviews, Goodall had likened Trump’s behavior to that of dominant chimpanzees, noting their tendency to “swagger” and intimidate rivals.
The documentary also captures her reflections on mob aggression in both humans and chimpanzees. “It’s contagious,” she observed. “When one becomes aggressive, the rest catch that feeling. They’re protecting territory or fighting for dominance.”
Despite her critical tone toward some world figures, Goodall ended the interview with hope. “Even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic,” she urged viewers.
Comparing the current global crises to Britain’s wartime resilience under Winston Churchill, Goodall said, “You have moments of depression, but then you say, ‘I’m not going to let them win.’”
Her final message called for small, collective acts to protect the planet: “If you want to save what is still beautiful in this world, think about the actions you take each day. Multiplied a million times, even small actions will make for great change.”
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
