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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Commentator Adam Frank says robots capable of "living" are coming more quickly than most of us imagine — so we better get ready. -
For some people, "video game" doesn't conjure up images of anything considered worthwhile. But some games, like The Last of Us, belong to a time-honored story genre, says commentator Adam Frank. -
Google has been researching the possibility of ranking search results based on established facts. Were this to become the norm, it would have huge implications for future discourse, says Adam Frank. -
Life as we know it is being threatened by everything from climate change to resource depletion. Commentator Adam Frank looks back at 1177 B.C. — and what we might learn from peoples past. -
Just in time for the official start of summer, NPR's Adam Frank heads outside to better understand the summer solstice. The secret, he says, is in the sunsets.
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Does science have limits? Commentator Adam Frank reviews Marcelo Gleiser's eye-opening new book exploring this very question. It appears that we are forever headed into the dark. -
A lot can happen in a millisecond, if you have the right tools. Commentator Adam Frank says the rise of high-frequency financial trading marks the invention of a new time logic for humanity. -
Popular physicist Brian Greene just opened the virtual doors to his World Science U, a resource for those who want to know more. Commentator Adam Frank says it's worth the trip. -
All anyone ever wants to talk about is the Higgs boson. But a new book by astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana tells the story of a ghostly particle with at least as much to recommend it: the neutrino. Adam Frank says it's an entertaining tale that will captivate scientist and amateur alike. -
Ebenezer Scrooge was famously visited by three ghosts who woke him to the wonders of the life right before his eyes. We can also let the past, present and future converge on us to the same effect. All we have to do is step outside and let the night sky become a time machine.
