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Jul 10, 2026 1 hr 5 min

The Dreaming Brain with Matt Walker

from StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, Gary O'Reilly, Matt Walker

What’s the real difference between dreaming and waking consciousness? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly sit down with sleep expert Matt Walker to answer fan questions about the most mysterious thing humans do every single night: sleeping & dreaming. What’s the science behind your sleep paralysis demon? NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-dreaming-brain-with-matt-walker/ Thanks to our Patrons Rhagor, Beans, Eric Grant, DOCTOR FN ASTRONAUT, Richard Thompson, Niclas Larsson, Cathy Hayes, SunshineKat Snyder, Brandon, Matt Caldwell, Tim Davies, M.Victoria Delpiano, Heyo13579, Erin McCullough, Shalon Sorensen, Kaydence Johnson, RJ, Dave, Sindre Skybert, Mr. V, Neon lion Blacklight cozylazy, Mary Mitchell, Trip Ni Selo, S. H., Cloud3X, P.M., Dallas, Dan, Getyoducksinarow, David S, Michael Koenig, Jason A, Reg Anderson, Sean Marien, Adeel Rahman, joe hoffmann, Ronald Merrifield, Jesse Miner, David Pazer, Toshi Jordan, Pat Voss, Nicholas Wiseman, Antoine Portes, Colin, David Crouse, Sander van Liempd, Wendy R., J P, Kenneth Cook, Joey, Fixxxer331, Nathan Hinote, Hara Kannajosyula, Heath Horne, Pixtle, Brett M Garabedian, Ryan Alba, Paul Tindall, Tony Stewart, and Stephanie Moore for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

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What’s the real difference between dreaming and waking consciousness? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly sit down with sleep expert Matt Walker to answer fan questions about the most mysterious thing humans do every single night: sleeping & dreaming.

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The Dreaming Brain with Matt Walker

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This episode is 1 hour and 5 minutes long.

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This episode was published on July 10, 2026.

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