We would like to thank all the experts for their insightful and very interesting comments that have been submitted in response to our review “Chimera states in neuronal networks: A review” [1]. We are delighted with the large number of comments that have been written, and even more so with the overwhelmingly positive opinions that these comments communicate to the wider audience [2–8].

Although methods of statistical physics have long proven their value in relevantly addressing challenges at the interface of chimeras and life sciences, such interdisciplinary research often still struggles for funding and recognition at many academic levels. In this reply, we would like to highlight the coming of age of the very fruitful synergy between physics and life sciences, and in particular between chimeras and neuronal dynamics.

S. Majhi, M. Perc, D. Ghosh, B.K. Bera, Chimeras at the interface of physics and life sciences Reply to comments on “Chimera states in neuronal networks: A review”, Physics of Life Reviews 28 (2019) 142–147