point is a typographic unit of measure in typography equal 1 / 72.27inch or sometimes approximated as 1 / 72 inch; on computer displays it should be equal to point in typography if the correct display resolution is set, and is often the height of one or two pixels if the resolution is set to 72 or 144 dpi respectively
"to point" means to indicate something with an extended arm and index finger aimed at what is being indicated.
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I mean, you can put a virus under a microscope and point to all the genes on its surface that are responsible for making it so dangerous.
So just in that chapter there is a little bit of sociology, a little of psychology and a little bit of history, all in aid of explaining a very common but mysterious phenomenon that we deal with every day.
The point is that by the end of the book I think the reader will have a clear idea of what starting an epidemic actually takes.