• 32 minutes 57 seconds
    Brainwaves: How does a brain stay healthy?

    You might think a healthy brain starts and ends in your head – but there are miles and miles of neuron fibers that connect your brain with nearly every corner of your body. Why a healthy brain needs a healthy body.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    21 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 5 seconds
    Brainwaves: What happens between life and death?

    A tunnel. A bright light. Reuniting with deceased loved ones. Many people who have near-death experiences have remarkably similar stories. Why?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    20 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 45 seconds
    Brainwaves: Is AI actually thinking?

    The rate at which artificial intelligence is able to replicate human behavior has increased in recent years. Does that mean it's thinking like us?

    In the third episode of "Brainwaves," what artificial intelligence teaches us about our own capacity for thought.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    19 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 41 seconds
    Brainwaves: Are you in there?

    Consciousness is how we are able to feel, dream and imagine. And yet -- scientists haven't figured out how consciousness definitively works. What we know, what we don’t and what that tells us about our brains.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    18 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 48 seconds
    Brainwaves: Why is the brain such a mystery?

    The brain is the organ that makes us who we are. It’s our conduit between reality and thought. But somehow, we’ve only scratched the surface in understanding how the brain actually works.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    17 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 37 seconds
    The Jackpod: Fixing the past to save the future

    On Point news analyst Jack Beatty has an epiphany: Retrofitting should be the defining goal of our civilization.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    17 August 2026, 10:00 am
  • 40 minutes 30 seconds
    It wasn't just Lewis and Clark

    Lewis and Clark became American legends. But they didn’t explore the West alone. A new book profiles the forgotten members of the Corps of Discovery and their remarkable stories.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    14 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 12 seconds
    Are we thinking about the Israel-Hamas conflict all wrong?

    Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a pro-Palestinian, anti-Hamas expert who grew up in Gaza City. He says a realistic path to peace in the Middle East requires different thinking.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    13 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 7 seconds
    Should states decide what kids read in school?

    Texas has a new statewide mandatory reading list for all public school students -- with whole books on the curriculum. Should other states follow suit?

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    12 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 48 seconds
    How socialism shaped Wisconsin

    Wisconsin elected the first-ever socialist member of Congress in 1910, and Milwaukee was run by socialist mayors for some 50 years. Now, a Democratic socialist is leading a primary race for Wisconsin governor.

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    11 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 22 seconds
    Why ABC says the FCC is attempting censorship

    President Trump has called ABC "the worst" and "the most biased network." Now the FCC is threatening to cancel the broadcast licenses of eight ABC TV stations. ABC says that's "retaliation."

    *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

    10 August 2026, 8:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App