13.8

Two astronauts in spacesuits stand on a textured, purple surface, facing a starry black sky.
White numbers "168" on a light gray background, with the digits partially overlapping and blending into the background.
Where science meets the human story

We live in a scientifically dominated age. Nearly every aspect of modern life is shaped by science and technology, from medicine and space exploration to climate change, nuclear risk, and artificial intelligence.

Science is the source of our greatest hopes and our deepest fears. It drives progress, but it also raises profound questions about meaning, responsibility, and the future of civilization. In the 21st century, science cannot be separated from culture. The two are braided together, shaping our politics, our art, and our understanding of what it means to be human.

13.8 is a space for examining that relationship. Through essays and conversations, it explores the beauty, power, promise, and peril of science as a cultural force. If we want to understand our moment in history, this is where the inquiry begins.

with

Adam Frank is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, a leading researcher on stellar evolution, and the author of four books. He is the co-founder of 13.8, where he writes about science and culture.

Marcelo Gleiser is a professor of natural philosophy, physics, and astronomy at Dartmouth College and the author of five books. A recipient of the 2019 Templeton Prize, he is the co-founder of 13.8, where he explores science and culture.

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Adam Frank

A smiling man with short dark hair wears a button-up shirt, standing in front of a purple, splattered-texture background.
An image of a planet in space.
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An image of a star in space.
From how life emerged on Earth to why we dream, these unanswered questions continue to perplex scientists.
An artist's rendering of an object in space.
These theoretical megastructures represent one way an advanced civilization might harvest energy from stars.
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Astronomers have discovered more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets — very few of which resemble Earth.
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A diagram showing the structure of an electroweak big bang.
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A colorful bar graph highlighting the crisis in cosmology.
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A diagram of a galaxy with blue arrows suggesting the past hypothesis.
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An image of a galaxy with a centrally-located star, illustrating the standard model of cosmology.
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a quantum cat on a blue background.
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quantum entanglement qubit ER = EPR
Experiments tell us quantum entanglement defies space and time.
a man playing a violin in front of a piano.
To Einstein, nature had to be rational. But quantum physics showed us that there was not always a way to make it so.
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atoms
Quantum superposition challenges our notions of what is real.
image of subatomic particles
The quantum world — and its inherent uncertainty — defies our ability to describe it in words.
a yellow drawing of a man's face with a wave pattern.
A concept known as "wave-particle duality" famously applies to light. But it also applies to all matter — including you.
Light carries with it the secrets of reality in ways we cannot completely understand.