Why a Mother's Voice Lights Up the Brain

Over the course of millions of years, human voices have evolved to hold startling power. These clouds of vibrating air carry crucial information about who we are–and we rely on them to push ourselves up and out into the physical world.

This week, we’re on a journey to understand how we got our unique sonic fingerprint, the power it affords us, and what happens when it’s taken away.

Special thanks to Alice Wong, Wren Farrell, Hector Espinal and his parents, Crisaly and Hector Espinal, Mary Croke, Nancy Kielty, Beth McEwen, Robin Feuer Miller, Roomful of Teeth, Amanda Crider, Caroline Shaw, Judd Greenstein, Leilihua Lanzilotti, Rebekka Karijord, and Michael Harrison.

EPISODE CREDITS: 

Reported by -Annie McEwen and Matt Kielty
Produced by - Annie McEwen and Matt Kielty
Original music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloom and Matt Kielty
with mixing help from - Jeremy Bloom
Fact-checking by - Anna Pujol-Mazzini
and Edited by  - Alex Neason

EPISODE CITATIONS:

Books - 

• Disability Intimacy by Alice Wong
• Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
• This is the Voice by John Colapinto

Websites -

• DisabilityVisibilityProject.com

Audio/Artists -

Roomful of Teeth (https://www.roomfulofteeth.org/)

• Partita for 8 Voices written by Caroline Shaw
• AEIOU composed by Judd Greenstein
• On Stochastic Wave behavior by Leilehua Lanzilotti
• Fugue by Rebekka Karijord, taken from the record “The Bell Tower", featuring Roomful of Teeth.
• Just Constellations, composed by Michael Harrison

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Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.