Podcast

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.

FEATURED ★ Podcast

A Once-in-Many-Centuries Event

In honor of the impending total solar eclipse on April 8th, we present this special eclipse podcast.

A dark disk in the center surrounded by glowing white filaments

The Sun’s corona shining brightly during a total solar eclipse in 2017. This media was created by the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab). Credit: Miloslav Druckmüller, Peter Aniol, Vojtech Rušin, Ľubomír Klocok, Karel Martišek, Martin Dietzel. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Podcast

James Allison Eases Off the Brakes

In today's episode of Point of Discovery, UT Austin alum James Allison talks about the uphill climb to make cancer immunotherapy a reality.

Portrait of a man in glasses and a white lab coat

Podcast

When Science Communication Doesn’t Get Through

Climate change, vaccinations, evolution. Scientists sometimes struggle to get their message across to non-scientists.

A person holds their hands over their ears as a graph showing global warming moves by like an audio wave

Podcast

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.

Two men sit at a desk with microphones, a banner behind them reads "Sci-Mic Stage"

Podcast

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.

Four women sit conversing in a seimcircle in an audio studio

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The Language Brokers

Researchers like Su Yeong Kim are debating whether being a language broker is good for children, or not.

Illustration of two people speaking with word bubbles over their heads

Podcast

Eyewitness to a Cosmic Car Wreck

What is the sound of two neutron stars colliding over 1 billion light years away?

Illustration of large explosion in space

Podcast

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.

Scientist in white labcoat and blue gloves touches a pen-like device to a red tissue sample

Podcast

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.

Shiny metal science equipment

Podcast

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.

Illustration of people in a boat with a microphone dangling in the water and a group of fish emitting waves of sound

Podcast

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.

Robot standing on a soccer pitch preparing to kick a red ball into a net

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.