Communicating with animals has always fascinated humans. Once a popular myth, it may now be the new frontier of science.

The interactions of extraordinary people with animals, their insights and their novel experiments shed an astonishing light on the animals we think we know. You’ll never look at your cat or your dog the same way again. And the next time you meet a great ape, you’ll be able to say hello.

With Jane Goodall, who revolutionized the study of animal behavior; a Belgian vet and pioneer in dog and cat psychology who strives to improve relations with their human companions; an Atlanta anthropologist who finds that life with the orangutang she raised and “humanized” has its ups and downs; a leading French expert who takes a new look at the genetic links between humans and animals; and a guru in California who communicates non-verbally with your pet.

Our encounters with these new style communicators lead to the age-old questions of who we are and where we come from, how we relate to the animal world, and what it is that makes us human.