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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A lot can happen in a millisecond, if you have the right tools. Commentator Adam Frank says the rise of high-frequency financial trading marks the invention of a new time logic for humanity. -
Popular physicist Brian Greene just opened the virtual doors to his World Science U, a resource for those who want to know more. Commentator Adam Frank says it's worth the trip. -
All anyone ever wants to talk about is the Higgs boson. But a new book by astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana tells the story of a ghostly particle with at least as much to recommend it: the neutrino. Adam Frank says it's an entertaining tale that will captivate scientist and amateur alike. -
When you fall in love with science, ordinary, everyday stuff can suddenly seem extraordinary. That's how NPR Blogger and astrophysicist Adam Frank sees it — today he sees it in dust.
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Want to free yourself from the tyranny of gravity's constancy and see space bend? Like Einstein, just get into an elevator and pay close attention. -
Mario Livio's new book profiles five brilliant scientists and thinkers who, despite their seminal contributions to our understanding of the world, were also wrong about some big questions. Commentator Adam Frank says Livio's engaging work highlights how the collective process that is science always gets it right in the end. -
Time is special. How we see it helps determine how we see the rest of the Universe. Physicist Lee Smolin has a new book out that says we've been looking at time the wrong way. Adam Frank digs in and offers his own perspective on Smolin's argument. -
Refining our capacity to notice is an act of reverence that we can bring to everywhere and everywhen. It's an invitation, bringing the world's most basic presence into view, opening our horizons and restoring our spirits.
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Are you one of the last humans who will ever live? Commentator Adam Frank takes us through the famous Doomsday Argument and what it means. -
Can we really see the Universe in a grain of sand, even as we slog through traffic? Can we really hold infinity in our hands, even as we drop off the kids to Violin practice? Commentator Adam Frank says we can if we take the time to notice the beauty of the natural world surrounding us. -
How The Big Lebowski's Dude is schooling us all in the ways of the Zen. Its all in the abiding.
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Astrophysicist and zen practitioner Adam Frank reviews the new book The Dude and the Zen Master by actor Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman.
