In 1992, while developing a series on the human-animal bond, Meg Daley Olmert was asked to join a research team studying the neurobiology of social bonding headed by Dr. Kerstin Uvnas-Moberg of the Karolinska Institute and Dr. Carol Sue Carter of the University of Maryland. Her partnership in this scientific endeavor inspired her groundbreaking book, Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond.

This is the first book to explain the brain chemistry that flows through—and between—all mammals forging powerful social bonds between the species. It traces the evolution of this shared neurobiological heritage as it calmed wild animals and turned our hunter-gather ancestors into full-time animal caregivers. And it also shows how the ability of humans and animals to activate this brain system in each other continues to quiet our hearts and minds, filling us with a very real, very essential sense of wellbeing.

Olmert lectures widely and is a media consultant. She has produced and written cultural and historical documentaries for Emmy Award series such as Smithsonian World, National Geographic Explorer, The Discovery Channel Specials, and PBS’ The Living Edens. She is also the Director of Research and Development for Warrior Canine Connection, a canine therapy program for the treatment of soldiers with PTSD, at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, in Bethesda, MD.

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