Nerd Alert with Dan & Dean

The Glymphatic System and The Significance of Sleep

In this episode, Dan & Dean discuss the ins and outs of sleep. The conversation covers the characteristics of sleep in humans and other animals, and explores the biological mechanisms of sleep, including the more recent understanding of the glymphatic system and its role in facilitating restorative sleep.

Recording Music: The Evolution of Music Storage Media

In this episode, Dan & Dean take a look at the technology and practices behind capturing music throughout history. Beyond discussing consumer trends and characteristics of different music storage media, the conversation also dives into the science behind the storage and playback of all our favorite music. Thanks for Listening.

LIGO: The Search For Gravitational Waves

In this episode, Dan & Dean discuss LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, a large-scale physics experiment to detect and analyze gravitational waves. In addition to providing some background on why we are interested in gravitational waves and how they work, the discussion covers the design of LIGO itself and future directions for the research.

Planetary Picks: Ranking The Solar System

In this episode, Dan & Dean cover the ins and outs of the planets in our solar system. After reviewing some interesting and surprising facts about each celestial body, we compare our rankings (with justification) for the planets we feel are the best and the worst.

Case Study: The Berlin Patient

In this episode, Dan & Dean review The Berlin Patient, a case study which describes the first person to be considered cured of HIV. The discussion covers multiple patients who were similarly cured, as well as the mechanism for HIV infection and how patients are often treated for HIV present day.