Adam Frank
Adam Frank was a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture. A professor at the University of Rochester, Frank is a theoretical/computational astrophysicist and currently heads a research group developing supercomputer code to study the formation and death of stars. Frank's research has also explored the evolution of newly born planets and the structure of clouds in the interstellar medium. Recently, he has begun work in the fields of astrobiology and network theory/data science. Frank also holds a joint appointment at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a Department of Energy fusion lab.
Frank is the author of two books: The Constant Fire, Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate (University of California Press, 2010), which was one of SEED magazine's "Best Picks of The Year," and About Time, Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang (Free Press, 2011). He has contributed to The New York Times and magazines such as Discover, Scientific American and Tricycle.
Frank's work has also appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009. In 1999 he was awarded an American Astronomical Society prize for his science writing.
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From its first appearance, Star Trek has always been hopeful about the relationship between society and technology. Ethan Siegel doesn't lose sight of this in his book, Treknology, says Adam Frank.
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The present moment is made of a lot of pasts — and just as Scrooge's ghosts were really messengers of hope, the deepest truths of science and the infinite night are here for us, too, says Adam Frank.
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Oumuamua marks the first time humans have seen a visitor pass through our corner of the universe — renewing discussions of the origins of life, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.
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There's more to the scientific method than what you learn in high school: Scientists argue with each other, too, and the participation of nature — whose say is absolute — is key, says Adam Frank.
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Last week, EPA scientists were pulled from speaking at a meeting where they would address climate change. New EPA leaders were quickly accused of censoring their own scientists, says Adam Frank.
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In his new book, Robert Wright explores Buddhism's take on our suffering, our anxiety and our general dis-ease — where he sees it lining up with scientific fields, says blogger Adam Frank.
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A project called the Event Horizon Telescope is analyzing data taken earlier this year using interferometry — and we may be remarkably close to "seeing" a black hole, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.
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Classification of planets offers a way to see how Anthropocenes — and a successful route through them — might be part of a continuum of planetary evolution, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.
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Through the power of Katrina, Sandy and, now, Harvey, we get a view into how a changing climate may play out in the real world — beyond arguments and abstractions, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.
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The great hope of urban advocates is to democratize data, allowing residents to see more clearly how a neighborhood is changing — but knowledge of those changes may accelerate them, says Adam Frank.