Today, we had the pleasure of interviewing a brilliant, revolutionary and talented woman named Dr. Patricia Gray. She is the pioneer of Bio Music which basically examines music scientifically and science creatively - it studies the biological foundations of music. In particular, they study animal song (birds, whales, dolphins, mice) and animal music-ing (bonobos like Kanzi and Panbanisha making music) and then using their findings to understand incredible concepts like how humans can sing in tune together and clap rhythmically - it’s an amazing opportunity to delve into our evolutionary past since we share a common ancestor from 6 million years ago! These findings directly uncover the inner workings of our brains. We’ll be posting the interview (audio podcast) soon, so stay tuned…

I listened to Dr. Gray talk about how her work is so different from what’s typically done in scientific research because she isn’t just observing the bonobos, she’s participating in the process with them, she’s interacting with them. And, it got me to think about Dian Fossey who believed that all beings had the same rights and that they needed to be treated with the same respect as humans - a researcher who touched and communicated with the gorillas; Jane Goodall who named the chimps she worked with instead of giving them numbers as had always been standard practice; Sue Savage-Rumbaugh who communicates with bonobos and studies them as they move through their lives; and, Sally Jewell Coxe who is working to protect the bonobos in the DRC by involving, supporting and educating the people that share their country.

Of course, we know that this small summary barely scratches the surface of what these incredible women did and continue to do - but the common themes are: respect, interaction, doing something revolutionary and progress. And, we think that’s powerful stuff.

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