Voice
Summary
Dive into the intricate world of the human voice, tracing its surprising evolutionary journey from ancient fish to complex mammalian speech. The episode delves into the profound neurological impact of voices, particularly a mother's, on the developing brain. It then shares the powerful and poignant story of Alice Wong, an activist who confronts the loss of her speaking voice and redefines dignity while navigating communication through technology, connecting her experience to the overlooked legacy of the Passy Muir valve inventor.Episode description
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 -
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
Sign up for our newsletter! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!
Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.
Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.
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.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.