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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As we find our way in a world shaped by Big Data, it's not the reams of information we gather but the networks they illuminate that's the newest addition to science's index of things, says Adam Frank. -
The Climate Science Special Report, released by the White House last week, is a valuable read — it's a primer on how science works when it overlaps with the need to make informed bets on our future. -
Gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time — are a big deal in the world of science. Here's a video that helps explain how they work. -
If you time it just right, tossing a ball in the air as an elevator starts to move, the ball seems to hang in the air for a moment, like gravity had been canceled, says astrophysicist Adam Frank. -
Author Kim Stanley Robinson deserves a place as a true visionary: He has done more than just write good science-fiction — he's mapped out new territory in what it means to be human, says Adam Frank. -
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. -
Ever since the first movie achieved cult status, fans have hotly debated whether Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is a replicant. Blade Runner 2049 leaves room for argument, says fan Adam Frank.
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Once a technology that treats emotions as data becomes pervasive, we may soon find that data is the only aspect of emotion we come to recognize or value, says astrophysicist Adam Frank. -
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. -
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.
