Point of Discovery
Behind every scientific discovery is a scientist (or 12) and a story. “Point of Discovery” takes you on a journey beyond WHAT we know to HOW we know it. Listeners will meet the sometimes quirky, always passionate people whose curiosity unlocks hidden worlds.
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Brain Activity Decoder Can Reveal Stories in People’s Minds
The work relies in part on a transformer model, similar to the ones that power ChatGPT.
Alex Huth (left), Shailee Jain (center) and Jerry Tang (right) prepare to collect brain activity data in the Biomedical Imaging Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The researchers trained their semantic decoder on dozens of hours of brain activity data from participants, collected in an fMRI scanner. Photo Credit: Nolan Zunk/University of Texas at Austin.
A Score to Settle with Cancer
Jonathan Sessler knows the odds of bringing effective new cancer treatments to market are stacked against him, yet he tirelessly pushes ahead.
Tackling Science and Engineering’s Diversity Problem
Three leaders in science and engineering discuss the obstacles for women and racial minorities to enter or stay in STEM.
The Language Brokers
Researchers like Su Yeong Kim are debating whether being a language broker is good for children, or not.
Eyewitness to a Cosmic Car Wreck
What is the sound of two neutron stars colliding over 1 billion light years away?
Scientists: New Device Accurately Identifies Cancer in Seconds
A team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin has invented the MasSpec Pen, helping improve treatment and reduce the chances of cancer recurrence.
When Will We Have Quantum Computers?
Scott Aaronson believes in the next few years, someone may achieve something called quantum supremacy—the first demonstration of a quantum computer doing something faster than a conventional computer.
Can Sound Save a Fish?
Gulf Corvina look pretty ordinary—they're a couple of feet long and silvery. Yet the sounds they make—when millions get together to spawn—are a kind of wonder of the natural world. It's also why they are in danger.
Keeps Us on Our Toes
Michael Mauk is working on a "digital cerebellum" that mimics the part of the brain that helps us keep from falling. It could help make robots more stable, as well as humans with neurodegenerative diseases.
The Science of Relationships
What are the health benefits of romantic relationships? How can newlyweds avoid communication breakdowns that result from external stress? Do optimists make better partners?
Resetting the Alcoholic Brain
The brains of people experiencing alcohol addiction have different patterns of gene expression than those without addiction. Could this lead to a new kind of therapy?
About the Podcast
Behind every scientific discovery is a scientist (or 12) and a story. “Point of Discovery” takes you on a journey beyond WHAT we know to HOW we know it. Listeners will meet the sometimes quirky, always passionate people whose curiosity unlocks hidden worlds.
Hosted by Marc Airhart
Marc Airhart is the Communications Coordinator for the College of Natural Sciences. A long time member of the National Association of Science Writers, he has written for national publications including Scientific American, Mercury, The Earth Scientist, Environmental Engineer & Scientist, and StarDate Magazine.
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Disclaimer
Point of Discovery is part of the Texas Podcast Network, brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin.