You and Betty and the Nancy's and Bill's and Joes and Jane's will find in the study of science

a richer, more rewarding life.

Hey, welcome back to Inquiring Minds.

This is a podcast that explores the space where science and society collide.

We want to find out what's true, what's left to discover, and why it

matters. We're back from a little hiatus while I was finishing up production on season

four of my other podcast, Cadence, what music tells us about

the mind. And if you're curious to hear what I've been up to, check it out wherever you get your

podcasts. In season four, we told the stories of people whose lives have been transformed by

music. For four episodes, we talked to those who use music not just to express themselves,

but as a form of communication in a society that ignores or sometimes even outright silences them.

And in the other four episodes, we have a how-to guide led by the legendary music therapist Connie Tamano.

She's a neurologic music therapy pioneer,

and she walks us through four different ways that music therapy can help rewire

and even heal parts of a neurodegenerative or injured brain.

But on inquiring minds, this week, I get to chat with longtime colleague and

fellow memory researcher Charin Ranganath, who, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, decided to

write a book for people rather than the academy. He also decided to learn how to surf, and I can't vouch for his

surfing skills, but I can tell you that he nailed the book part. And his book, Why We Remember,

is not only a joy to read, but even full of packed information that I certainly didn't know,

thinking of myself as a skeptical, but somewhat well-researched, memory researcher,

there was a lot that I learned.

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