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.

An artist's rendering of the surface of venus.
We don’t need to think about what life is made of but rather what it does.
A QBism-inspired painting of a woman in blue and black.
The perfectly accessible, perfectly knowable Universe of classical physics is gone forever, no matter what interpretation you choose.
An artist's rendering of an alien planet and a red star.
Within the next few decades, we may well have hard evidence for the existence of alien life on worlds light-years distant from Earth.
Nasa image of a spiral galaxy that challenges cosmology.
Cosmology is unlike other sciences. When our view of the Universe changes, so does our understanding of philosophy and science itself.
A fractal image of an orange and yellow flower.
A relatively new interpretation of quantum mechanics asks us to reimagine the process of science itself.
A scientifically-inspired painting of animals in a cave.
Art isn't a side note in human history; it's the main text.
A Copernican-inspired map of the world showcasing a central globe.
Despite the vast number of planets in the Universe, Earth's specific evolutionary history guarantees that its life forms — including humans — are utterly unique.
A man exploring quantum computing in a room with red lights.
Nature may not allow us full access to the weirdness of quantum mechanics.
The little book about aliens on the moon.
We may be the last generation born not knowing if we are alone in the Universe.
an image of a nebula with TRAPPIST stars in it.
The space telescope's findings challenge the notion of a galaxy brimming with life.
A pi symbol is shown on a white background representing real mathematical concepts.
Is mathematics woven into the very fabric of reality? Or is it merely a product of the human mind?
a black and white photo with a red border.
The truth is out there, but it's probably not in the latest whistleblower's report.
a group of people standing in a cave with smoke coming out of it.
Origin of life studies have always focused on a set of strict environments that could give rise to life. Ante-life opens new possibilities.
Two breathtaking pictures of a galaxy and a star taken by the Hubble telescope, highlighting the beauty and cosmic magnitude that fuels the Hubble tension.
There are two methods to measure the expansion rate of the Universe. The results do not agree with each other, and this is a big problem.
jupiter
The classic picture of Jupiter's great rocky core might be entirely wrong.
A diagram showing the structure of an electroweak big bang.
The problem of the electroweak horizon haunts the standard model of cosmology and beckons us to ask how deep a rethink the model may need.
A colorful bar graph highlighting the crisis in cosmology.
The standard model of cosmology has a big new problem: Some galaxies seem to be too old.
A diagram of a galaxy with blue arrows suggesting the past hypothesis.
How do physicists solve a problem like entropy?