Dan Levitt is the author of What’s Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body’s Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night’s Dinner. The book brings together a lifelong interest in science and history.

At Swarthmore College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, he studied cognitive psychology and biology. In the Peace Corps in Kenya, Dan taught  physics, math, and biology in a rural high school. Living close to Mount Kilimanjaro, walking by anthills as tall as people, and seeing wildlife like snakes and hippos up close-up, sparked a deep curiosity about science and the natural world. Back in Philadelphia, he developed exhibits on science and the history of technology for the Franklin Institute Science Museum. After receiving an MFA in filmmaking, Dan moved to Boston to begin a career writing, producing, and directing science and history documentaries for Discovery, Science, National Geographic, History, HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute), and others. His productions included films on how Galileo, Newton, Einstein, and Hawking made their greatest discoveries; How Jules Verne and H.G. Wells predicted the future; and scientists’ efforts to uncover the cause of Malaysia’s deadly Nipah virus. His work has received numerous awards including two Cine-Golden Eagles, Emmy award nominations, and the coveted Spur Award for script writing from the Western Writers of America.

Dan lives in Cambridge with his wife, two kids, and their dog, Maxwell Smart. He is currently writing a book on the brain.