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.

consciousness
What if intelligence can thrive without consciousness?
The weirdness begs for an interpretation.
advanced civilization
Do the laws of physics place a hard limit on how far technology can advance, or can we re-write those laws?
supermassive black hole
Astronomers in 2017 caught an image of a supermassive black hole in a galaxy far, far away. Doing it in our own galaxy is a huge milestone.
science
Nature is a whole. The sciences should be, too.
heavy neutral atom
Every timekeeping device works via a version of a pendulum — even the atomic clocks that are accurate to nanoseconds.
realism
Realism in science cannot be completely unmoored from human experience. Otherwise, realism ends up tortured with unreal paradoxes.
dyson spheres
A new paper combines two concepts from the edges of astrophysics: Dyson Spheres and black holes. A Type III civilization could combine them.
marvel studios
Time for a status check before watching "Moon Knight."
buddhism physics
The relationship between these two ways of thinking about the world deserves deeper exploration.
cosmic dark ages
The James Webb Space Telescope could help scientists learn about the cosmic dark ages and how they ended.
climate change
Earth is not a benign mother. We have begun to witness what happens when it unleashes its fury.
science journey
From a desert oasis to the Rocky Mountains, being filled with awe makes me a better scientist.
is the multiverse real
Is the multiverse real? It's one of the hottest questions in all of theoretical physics. We invited two astrophysicists to join the debate.
The Kardashev scale ranks civilizations from Type 1 to Type 3 based on energy harvesting.
average star
Please stop calling our Sun an "average star." It is philosophically dubious and astronomically incorrect.
parallel universe
In scientific theories, the Multiverse appears as a bug rather than as a feature. We should squash it.
SpinLaunch
Besides offering an incredibly cool way to get stuff into space, SpinLaunch promises to reduce the cost of a launch by 20-fold.
arc of history
We are generally taught that there is an arc of history — an inevitable path of progress that leads to modern society. Maybe it isn't true.
ergodicity
In movies and TV shows, aliens look like pointy-eared humans. Is this realistic? If evolution is predictable, then it very well might be.