Adam Frank

Adam Frank

Astrophysicist

adam frank

Adam Frank is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester and a leading expert on the final stages of evolution for stars like the sun. Frank's computational research group at the University of Rochester has developed advanced supercomputer tools for studying how stars form and how they die. A self-described “evangelist of science," he is the author of four books and the co-founder of 13.8, where he explores the beauty and power of science in culture with physicist Marcelo Gleiser.

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The problem for galactic-scale civilizations comes down to two numbers.
An illustration of Galileo Galilei with a historical text and a lunar sketch alongside.
"I was stunned. Here in front of me was the original apparatus through which a new vision of the world was slowly and painfully brought to light."
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We need a "theory that explains the evolution of evolution," argues theoretical physicist Sara Imari Walker.
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Astronomer Adam Frank asks: With so many extraordinary claims, why can't anybody produce the proof?
Close-up of multi-colored snowflakes on the left and a detailed view of a spiral galaxy on the right against a star-filled background.
How did life on Earth begin? Is there life on other worlds? An answer to either question will reflect heavily on the other. 
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It's deceptively tricky to distinguish living systems from non-living systems. Physics may be key to solving the problem.
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By focusing on the role of human experience, we may uncover new insights on the fundamental structure of reality.