Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Light of the Stars
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 8/1/1962
WEBSITE: http://www.constantfire.com/
CITY: Rochester
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Frank http://astro.pas.rochester.edu/~afrank/afrankhome/afrank.html http://www.rochester.edu/news/experts/index.php?id=60
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born August 1, 1962, in Belleville, NJ.
EDUCATION:University of Washington, Ph.D., 1992.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Astrophysicist, professor, and science writer. Leiden University and the University of Minnesota, postdoctoral and visiting scientist; University of Rochester, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, 1996, associate professor, 2000, professor of astrophysics, 2004-; 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog, cofounder and writer, 2010.
AWARDS:Hubble Fellowship, 1995; American Astronomical Society Solar Physics Division Popular Writing Award for a Scientist, 1999; University of Rochester Bridging Fellowship, 2005; Best American Science and Nature Writing, 2009; American Astronomical Society Prize for scientific writing.
WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Discover, Astronomy, Scientific American, and New York Times. Contributor to anthologies, including Best Science and Nature Writing, 2009, and Best Buddhist Writing, 2009.
SIDELIGHTS
Astronomer and astrophysicist Adam Frank is professor of astrophysics at Rochester University. His research interests include theoretical astrophysics, hydrodynamic and magneto-hydrodynamic evolution of matter ejected from stars, planetary nebulae, and young stellar objects. He has written science books about the intersection of science, religion, and human spirituality; time and the Big Bang; and climate change and the fate of the Earth. Frank published the Astronomy: At Play in the Cosmos textbook in which he integrates interviews with leading scientists with a narrative that makes astronomy feel immediate and relevant for students and that captures science’s human nature. Frank has also written science articles for Discover and Scientific American, is an on-air commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered, and is cofounder and contributor to NPR’s 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog. He is also a science consultant for Marvel Studios. With a Ph.D. in physics from Washington University, Frank was a Hubble Fellow and recipient of an American Astronomical Society Prize.
The Constant Fire
Frank’s first book, The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate, was published in 2009. He explores the relationship between science and religion dating as far back as Neolithic archaeological sites in Ireland, incorporating intelligent design and the Bible’s Genesis, and revealing modern astrophysics discoveries and theories. Interpreting writings from scholars of religion, philosophy, and mythology, Frank finds commonality between science and religion, follows the pursuit of truth, addresses global warming and resource depletion, and presents a world that can accept both science and human spirituality.
Although Frank debunks silly science like The Tao of Physics, “as a writer explaining his sense of reverence drawn from an encounter with the universe, let’s just say the legacy of [anthropologist and philosopher] Loren Eiseley is secure,” according to Russell E. Saltzman in First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. Saltzman added that the debate between religion and science should continue, rather than let science be upgraded to a spiritual exercise, as Frank does. C.G. Wood explained in Choice that Frank’s goal “is to explore the relationship between the pursuit of science and the ‘sacred,’” and not any specific religious belief. Praising Frank for his respect of religion and aspiration to the true and real, a Publishers Weekly reviewer remarked that “this vision of coexistence appreciates the heavenly music of the spheres.”
The End of the Beginning
Next Frank published the 2011 The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang, an expansive view of time on both cosmic and human scales. The birth of time began with the Big Bang nearly fourteen billion years ago, but on our comparatively miniscule human timeline, we have been marking time in myriad ways. Frank describes Stone Age people marking the moon phases, Stonehenge and Newgrange monuments to the Sun, calendars and clocks, Einstein, quantum theory, and atomic clocks. He also considers how cultural inventions and cosmic time are connected, the idea of mutliverses and space-time, and the depletion of earth’s resources.
“Maintaining a conversational and enthusiastic tone and accessible vocabulary, the author surveys the implications of this ‘braiding’ of time and culture,” noted a Kirkus Reviews writer. Frank provides “a unique and fascinating look at complex concepts with an accessible style that is both matter-of-fact and thoroughly entertaining,” according to a reviewer in Publishers Weekly. In Library Journal, Peggy Dominy explained that Frank offers vignettes “some of them amusing, designed to highlight and enrich various points of the narrative.”
About Time
In 2012, Frank wrote About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang, an examination of how human beings have experienced time and how new understandings of cosmic time have changed human culture. Just as the invention of the clock or the Internet have changed our lives dramatically, so too has our understanding of cosmology. Hunter and gatherers viewed time much differently than we do with cell phones and calendars. Now with new theories of the Big Bang, parallel universes, quantum gravity, and eternal inflation, human thought and cultural evolution are headed in strange new directions.
Calling the book well-written and not too technical for readers, E. Kincanon in Choice commented on the dual nature of the book exploring both humankind’s understanding of how the universe evolved and how we measure time so that “the reader gains an appreciation for the complexity of the relation when they are presented together.” A writer in Nature called the book eloquent adding that Frank “explores the interweaving of social and cosmological time.”
Light of the Stars
Frank published Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth in 2018. The book discusses humanity’s search for other civilizations in the universe and the relevance of that to our future on Earth. Other planets can teach us about our own, such as Venus and its runaway greenhouse effect, which can help us address climate change on Earth. Frank interviews leading scientists in astrobiology, NASA planetary missions, biospheres, and the Gaia theory that Earth is a living being. Frank combines numerous disciplines, like biology, astrophysics, engineering, and population science. He also offers a thought experiment in which we consider that if exocivilizations have developed technology that has advanced so that it has impacted natural conditions on their planet, as humans have done with carbon emissions and global climate change, then how did they solve that problem and how can we learn from them.
“Engrossing readers start to finish with persuasive, smooth prose, Frank offers a new take on humanity’s place” in the universe, declared a writer in Publishers Weekly. In a review in Booklist, Kathleen McBroom noted that Frank “comes across in his usual way, as knowledgeable, witty, irreverent, provocative, and very entertaining” as he offers solid science that is a lot of fun. Writing in Kirkus Reviews, a contributor called the book “An intriguing account of the ongoing search for alien civilizations whose failure to appear may be a warning for humans to get their act together.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 15, 2018, Kathleen McBroom, review of The Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, p. 6.
Choice, April 2009, C.G. Wood, review of The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science & Religion Debate, p. 1520; May 2012, E. Kincanon, review of About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang, p. 1672.
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, May 2010, Russell E. Saltzman, review of The Constant Fire, p. 63.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2011, review of The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time, and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang; May 1, 2018, review of Light of the Stars.
Library Journal, August 1, 2011, Peggy Dominy, review of The End of the Beginning, p. 118.
Nature, September 22, 2011, review of About Time, p. 405.
Publishers Weekly, October 27, 2008, review of The Constant Fire, p. S12; June 6, 2011, review of The End of the Beginning, p. 35; April 9, 2018, review of The Light of the Stars, p. 69.
Adam Frank
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Adam Frank
Born
1 August 1962 (age 56)
Residence
United States
Nationality
United States
Alma mater
University of Washington
Scientific career
Fields
Physics
Institutions
University of Rochester
Adam Frank (born 1 August 1962) is an American physicist, astronomer, and writer. His scientific research has focused on computational astrophysics with an emphasis on star formation and late stages of stellar evolution. Currently his work includes studies of exoplanet atmospheres and astrobiology. The latter include studies of the generic response of planets to the evolution of energy-intensive civilizations (exo-civilizations).
His popular writing has focused on issues of science in its cultural context. Topics include: issues of climate and the human future, technology and cultural evolution; the nature of mind and experience; science and religion. He is a co-founder of NPR's 13.7 Cosmos and Culture Blog.,[1] a regular on-air contributor to All Things Considered and an occasional contributor to the New York Times.
Contents
1
Life and career
2
Popular writing
3
Awards and recognition
4
Selected publications
5
References
6
External links
Life and career[edit]
Frank was born on August 1, 1962 in Belleville, New Jersey.[citation needed] He attended the University of Colorado for his undergraduate work and received his PhD from the University of Washington. He held post-doctoral positions at Leiden University in the Netherlands and the University of Minnesota. In 1995, Frank was awarded the Hubble Fellowship.[2] In 1996, he joined the faculty of the University of Rochester, where he is currently a professor of astrophysics.
Frank's research focus is astrophysical fluid dynamics. His research group developed the AstroBEAR adaptive mesh refinement code used for simulating magneto fluid dynamics flows in astrophysical contexts.[3] Projects using AstroBEAR include the study of jets from protostars as well the evolution of planetary nebula at the end of a solar-type star's life.
Popular writing[edit]
Frank's first book was The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate, published 2009. It discussed the ongoing relationship between science and religion.
In 2010, Frank co-founded NPR's 13.7 Cosmos and Culture Blog with Marcelo Gleiser.[4] In 2018, Frank and Gleiser's blog moved to ORBITER magazine with a new name, 13.8: Science, Culture, and Meaning.[5] Frank has also written for Discover magazine.[6] His work appeared in 2009 Best Science and Nature Writing and 2009 Best Buddhist Writing.[citation needed]
Frank's second book, published in the fall of 2011, About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang explores the relationship between changing ideas in cosmology and the cultural idea of time.[7]
Frank wrote an article titled "Yes, There Have Been Aliens", based on his astronomical observations, which stated "a trillion civilizations still would have appeared over the course of cosmic history."[8][9]
Frank wrote a college science textbook titled Astronomy At Play in the Cosmos, published September 2016.[10]
Frank's most recent book Light of the Stars. Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth was published 12 June 2018. The book attempts to reframe debates about climate change by showing it to be a generic phenomena which will occur on almost any technological civilization on any planet. Thus it explores what Frank calls the Astrobiology of the Anthropocene.[11]
Awards and recognition[edit]
2009 Best American Science and Nature Writing[12]
1999 American Astronomical Society Solar Physics Division Popular Writing Award for a Scientist[13]
1997-2002 NSF CAREER Grant[14]
1995 Hubble Fellow[2]
Selected publications[edit]
The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs Religion Debate, University of California Press (January 10, 2009), ISBN 978-0-520-26586-8
The End of the Beginning: Cosmology Culture and Time at the Twilight of the Big Bang, (Sept 27, 2010), ISBN 978-0-452-27606-2
Light of the Stars. Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, (June 12, 2018), ISBN 978-0-393-60901-1
Adam Frank fell in love with astronomy when he was 5 years old and the affair has never cooled.
Late one night in the family library, Adam found the keys to the universe sketched out on the covers of his dad's pulp-science-fiction magazines—astronauts bounding across the jagged frontiers of alien worlds, starships rising to discovery on pillars of fire. The boundless world of possibilities on those covers became the one he was determined to inhabit.
Later, the love for astronomy transformed into a passion for the practice of science itself when his father's simple explanation of electric currents and sound waves turned the terror of a booming thunderstorm into an opportunity to marvel at the world's beauty. Now a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, he studies the processes that shape the formation and death of stars and has become a leading expert on the final stages of evolution for stars like the sun. Adam is a theoretical/computational astrophysicist and he heads a research group that is developing new tools for simulating the cosmos.
Adam also describes himself as an "evangelist of science." His commitment to showing others the beauty and power of science has led him to a second career as a popular writer and speaker on the subject.
He is the co-founder of National Public Radio’s 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog as well as a regular on-air commentator for All Things Considered. He also contributes occasionally to The New York Times. Adam is the author of three books. The most recent, Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, explores a new vision for climate change and the human future by placing them both in their proper “astrobiological” context. Climate change may likely be an expected consequence of any civilization on any planet developing an advanced industrial civilization. Adam’s first book, The Constant Fire: Beyond the Religion and Science Debate, focuses on perspectives on science and human spirituality that went beyond the usual creationism vs. Richard Dawkins debate. About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang explores the links between changing conceptions of cosmology and the human experience of time. He is also the author of a textbook Astronomy: At Play in the Cosmos. You can also sign up for his free Coursera course "Confronting The Big Questions: Highlights of Modern Astronomy".
CV: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5294ac8ee4b006d906129550/t/530fb520e4b0b9ddff13c356/1393538336778/Adam+CV.pdf
Adam Frank
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
PhD in Physics, University of Washington, 1992
417A Bausch & Lomb Hall
(585) 275-1717
Fax: (585) 273-3237
afrank@pas.rochester.edu
Website
Biography
Professor Frank received his PhD in Physics (1992) from University of Washington. He held postdoctoral and visiting scientist positions at Leiden University and the University of Minnesota. In 1995, he was awarded a Hubble Fellowship. He joined the University as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy in 1996. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2000 and to Professor in 2004. He received a University Bridging Fellowship in 2005.
Research Overview
Professor Frank's research is in the general area of Theoretical Astrophysics, and in particular the hydrodynamic and magneto-hydrodynamic evolution of matter ejected from stars. Current research topic include jets from Young Stellar Objects, bipolar outflows from evolved stars such as Planetary Nebulae and Massive stars. Investigations are carried out though the use of large scale numerical simulations. For more detail, see the Theoretical Astrophysics page.
Professor Frank is also active member of the department's Plasma Physics program, which is part of the University's interdisciplinary program in High-Energy Density Plasmas. In collaboration with faculty at the University's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (an Inertial Confinement Fusion facility), he is conducting plasma astrophysical research on topics such as magnetic diffusion in interstellar clouds and the evolution of solar magnetic flux tubes.
Professor Frank is also actively involved in science outreach as a popular science writer. He has contributed articles to Discover and Astronomy magazines. He received the science-writing prize from the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society in 1999,
For further details, go to Professor Frank's home page at: http://www.adamfrankscience.com.
Frank, Adam: LIGHT OF THE STARS
Kirkus Reviews. (May 1, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Frank, Adam LIGHT OF THE STARS Norton (Adult Nonfiction) $26.95 6, 12 ISBN: 978-0-393-60901-1
An engaging effort "to tell a different story about ourselves and our fate among the stars and their many worlds."
With the 21st-century discovery that planets circle most stars in our galaxy, books on alien life are pouring off the presses. In his latest, Frank (Astrophysics/Univ. of Rochester; About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang, 2011), co-founder of NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog, focuses on its implication for earthly life, crafting one of the best introductions to the genre. Since ancient times, writers have speculated about alien civilizations, but a famous scientist once asked a disturbing question: Where are they? On billions of planets over billions of years, surely advanced societies exist. High school math proves that any civilization capable of building ships that travel at 10 percent the speed of light will colonize our galaxy in 650,000 years. With the odds that humans are unique approaching zero, Frank introduces an unsettling idea: Perhaps advanced societies develop routinely and then quickly self-destruct. All life extracts energy from the environment, which changes that environment, often for the worst. But nonhuman life works slowly. Primitive bacteria extracted energy and produced oxygen as a waste product. This eventually killed them, but it took a few billion years. Our technically advanced society became possible when we developed spectacularly great sources of energy. Fifty years ago, researchers worried about nuclear Armageddon, but worries about human-induced climate change and environmental destruction have taken priority. Plenty of species and human cultures--Easter Island, Maya, Norsemen on Greenland--have crashed after exhausting their resources. As Frank writes, we must "stop seeing civilizations like our own as standing apart from the world that gave them birth. All civilizations, including those that might occur on other worlds, are expressions of their planet's evolutionary history."
An intriguing account of the ongoing search for alien civilizations whose failure to appear may be a warning for humans to get their act together.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Frank, Adam: LIGHT OF THE STARS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536571013/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=56c49902. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536571013
Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth
Kathleen McBroom
Booklist. 114.16 (Apr. 15, 2018): p6.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
* Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth.
By Adam Frank.
June 2018. 288p. illus. Norton, 526.95 (9780393609011). 523.1.
Frank, an NPR blogger and science commentator for All Things Considered, comes across in his usual way, as knowledgeable, witty, irreverent, provocative, and very entertaining. His premise is that we citizens of Earth need to stop acting like egocentric teenagers. We need to grow up and realize that it's extremely improbable that we're the only cognizant species to have ever inhabited a planet. We also need to stop beating ourselves up over how we're destroying our planet. It's obvious that our global civilization has had considerable impact, but Mother Earth is pretty tough. Humans exist only because conditions were created that allowed it. Surely this has happened before, where a nurtured civilization's technology has grown to the point where it's in conflict with its home planet. Frank argues that we should seek out these exocivilizations and learn from them and suggests how to do exactly that. Along the way, he refers to and succinctly but satisfactorily explains extraterrestrial existence theories, such as Fermi's Paradox, the Great Filter, and Drake's Equation. For us normal earthlings, he also incorporates accessible references to H. G. Wells, Carl Sagan, the Mars rovers, Easter Island, and prosthetic Klingon foreheads. This offers solid science and lots of fun, so expect high demand. --Kathleen McBroom
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
McBroom, Kathleen. "Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth." Booklist, 15 Apr. 2018, p. 6. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537267987/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0ded6aeb. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A537267987
The Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth
Publishers Weekly. 265.15 (Apr. 9, 2018): p69.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth
Adam Frank. Norton, $26.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-393-60901-1
Astrophysicist and NPR commentator Frank (The End of the Beginning) explores "the astrobiology of the Anthropocene" in this skillfully written volume. With an evenhanded approach to issues like the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the threat posed by climate change, Frank's simple, effective narrative interlaces biology, astrophysics, population science, and more to lend a cosmic perspective on the fate of life and earth. "Earth has worn the masks of many worlds" throughout its history of sweeping transformations, he observes, and studying other planets can cast new light on this one's challenges, such as how Venus reveals the dangers of a runaway greenhouse effect. Big-picture summaries of Fermi's paradox and philosophical inquiries into "exo-civilizations" lay out how humans have historically grappled with the question of alien life. The Easter Island civilization's collapse demonstrates "what is true for an isolated island, its ecosystems, and its inhabitants should also be true for planets in the isolation of space." Coupling a bevy of exoplanet data with his own research, Frank approximates the odds of humanity being the only civilization to ever exist as "one in ten billion trillion." Engrossing readers start to finish with persuasive, smooth prose, Frank offers a new take on humanity's place in this "vast and ancient metropolis of stars." (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth." Publishers Weekly, 9 Apr. 2018, p. 69. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A535100000/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0c58b3b1. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A535100000
Frank, Adam. The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang
Peggy Dominy
Library Journal. 136.13 (Aug. 1, 2011): p118.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Frank, Adam. The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang. Free Pr: S. & S. Sept. 2011. c.320p, bibliog. index. ISBN 9781439169599. $26. SCI
Frank (astrophysics, Univ. of Rochester; The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate), cofounder of NPR's 13.7: Cosmos & Culture blog and frequent contributor to Discover and Astronomy magazines, here endeavors to reconstruct our understanding of time--both what he calls human time and cosmological time--with the contention that we are poised for a new definition or experience of time. He begins by ushering readers from the prehistoric to the modern era, showing how the cycles of nature and the sky became integrated into human culture over time. Next, he discusses cosmological time and lays out his proposal for a new "order" of time. The narrative is punctuated with vignettes, some of them amusing, designed to highlight and enrich various points of the narrative. VERDICT This will fascinate anyone curious about the nexus of astronomy and history and, of course, time. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 3/28/11.]--Peggy Dominy, Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Dominy, Peggy
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Dominy, Peggy. "Frank, Adam. The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang." Library Journal, 1 Aug. 2011, p. 118. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A263879442/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=5fe90e97. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A263879442
Frank, Adam: THE END OF THE BEGINNING
Kirkus Reviews. (July 15, 2011):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Frank, Adam THE END OF THE BEGINNING Free Press (Adult Nonfiction) $26.00 9, 27 ISBN: 978-1-4391-6959-9
Hubble Fellow Adam Frank (Astrophysics/Univ. of Rochester) delves into the complex relationship between time and culture and concludes that culture and cosmology-even the Big Bang-are linked inextricably together.
Time, writes the author, can be thought of as both "cosmic time" and "human time." Material engagement with the physical world necessarily is affected by cultural invention; from ancient civilization to Microsoft Outlook, time is "entangled" with mankind. In addition, even as entanglement shifted from the day/night dichotomy of hunter-gatherers to the sophisticated atomic clocks we use today, our interaction with time relied on the cosmos-movements of the earth, sun and other stars remain the basic elements on which our notion of time is built. As human consciousness grew more sophisticated, so did our manipulation of time. Clocks, telescopes, radio, GPS and e-mail are all examples of how cultural invention and cosmic time are interwoven and mutually articulated. Maintaining a conversational and enthusiastic tone and accessible vocabulary, the author surveys the implications of this "braiding" of time and culture in terms of quantum physics, and introduces several alternatives to the Big Bang ex nihilo. String theory, multiverse models, brane cosmology and other fields may yield answers about the creation of the universe, and are also implicitly theories of (space)-time. Depleting reserves of oil and energy, too, indicates the need for a renewed approach toward resources and time. Ultimately, Frank argues that recognizing our place in the ongoing narrative of the creation of cultural time and cosmic time-moving beyond the cosmology of the Big Bang (of which "ours" may be one of many)-is what will allow mankind to enter a new, global era of time and culture.
A phenomenal blend of science and cultural history.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Frank, Adam: THE END OF THE BEGINNING." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2011. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A261178637/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=696e13a9. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A261178637
The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time, and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang
Publishers Weekly. 258.23 (June 6, 2011): p35.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time, and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang
Adam Frank. Free Press, $26 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4391-6959-9
Time is such an integral part of our lives that we never think about what it means or how we started counting it--but for University of Rochester astrophysicist and NPR blogger Frank, the provocative story of time is two tightly interwoven stories, one cosmic and one humanscale. From the moment an unknown shaman created the first deliberate record of the moon's phases 25,000 years ago in the Dordogne in France, humans have measured time. Solstice-marking megaliths and earthworks like Stonehenge and Ireland's Newgrange have given way to finer methods of counting. Frank illustrates the fascinating progression of "time consciousness" through calendars, clocks, and the metaphorical idea of a clockwork universe. From Newton to Einstein to quantum theory, modern electronics, and the virtual world of the Internet, time has been a crucial concept, even leading to increasingly detailed takes on the Big Bang, the "birth of time," and the fate of the universe. From Paleolithic times, when consciousness of time first began to be recorded to modern-day "rebel" physicists who challenge our most fundamental assumptions about matter, energy, and time, Frank offers a unique and fascinating look at complex concepts with an accessible style that is both matter-of-fact and thoroughly entertaining. Illus. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The End of the Beginning: Cosmology, Time, and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang." Publishers Weekly, 6 June 2011, p. 35. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A258537690/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=32ba4325. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A258537690
The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate
Publishers Weekly. 255.43 (Oct. 27, 2008): pS12.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate
ADAM FRANK. Univ. of California, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-520-25412-1
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Heavens be praised: here is a scientist who respects religion and relates it to the same impulse that drives scientific inquiry--an aspiration to the true and the real. Astrophysicist Frank is a lover of the skies with sufficient experience of awe to understand there's more than one way to tell the troth. His history of ideas is real science braided with myth and metaphor--the titular "constant fire" comes from poet Wallace Stevens. He's an engaging storyteller, as might be expected from someone who has published in Scientific American and Discover magazines. He can explain quantum physics and also dismiss woo-woo votaries who produce movies and books based on spurious science. He can relate mythic creation stories to the development of Big Bang theory. Light years beyond the stale standoff between uninspired scientific materialism and unscientific intelligent design, this vision of coexistence appreciates the heavenly music of the spheres. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate." Publishers Weekly, 27 Oct. 2008, p. S12. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A188353715/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4650feed. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A188353715
About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang
Nature. 477.7365 (Sept. 22, 2011): p405.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Nature Publishing Group
http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
Full Text:
About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang Adam Frank Free Press 432 pp. $26 (2011)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In this eloquent book, physicist and astronomer Adam Frank explores the interweaving of social and cosmological time. His trek through the history of humanity takes a parallel look at how we have gained a deeper grasp of the Universe during our time on Earth. Starting at the dawn of consciousness, he brings us through millennia of revolutions--from the development of agriculture, industry and the rise of cities to the emergence of string theory and ideas about eternal inflation and the multiverse.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang." Nature, vol. 477, no. 7365, 2011, p. 405. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A268652887/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cf629e47. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A268652887
Frank, Adam. About time: cosmology and culture at the twilight of the big bang
E. Kincanon
CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. 49.9 (May 2012): p1672.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 American Library Association CHOICE
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/about
Full Text:
49-5034
QB981
2011-11345 CIP
Frank, Adam. About time: cosmology and culture at the twilight of the big bang. 1st Free Press hardcover ed. Free Press, 2011. 406p bibl index ISBN 1439169594, $26.00; ISBN 9781439169599, $26.00
This interesting, enjoyable book presents the parallel evolution of cosmological and social time. Cosmological time refers to what many philosophers call natural or scientific time, while social time refers to how time is used and measured in daily life. Though many other writings discuss how scientific theories affect social concepts of time, this reviewer is unaware of any that present this parallel evolution at this level. Frank (astrophysics, Univ. of Rochester; The Constant Fire, CH, Apr'09, 46-4391) weaves together the changes in humankind's ideas of how the universe evolved with how people measure and relate to time. Either of these narratives is interesting on its own, but the reader gains an appreciation for the complexity of the relation when they are presented together. The book goes from ancient concepts of time to the present. Frank dedicates much of the book to modern scientific ideas such as the big bang, inflation, quantum gravity, and multiverses. This emphasis is justified since the radical changes in scientific ideas of time have occurred most recently, and the ways these new ideas affect social time is the point of the book. A well-written, nontechnical work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. *** General readers and undergraduate students.--E. Kincanon, Gonzaga University
Kincanon, E.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Kincanon, E. "Frank, Adam. About time: cosmology and culture at the twilight of the big bang." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, May 2012, p. 1672. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A288872920/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e0e1b9c3. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A288872920
The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science & Religion Debate
Russell E. Saltzman
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. .203 (May 2010): p63.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 Institute on Religion and Public Life
http://www.firstthings.com/
Full Text:
THE CONSTANT FIRE: BEYOND THE SCIENCE & RELIGION DEBATE
by Adam Frank
University of California Press, 304pages, $24.95
Frank finds his spirituality in science, spirituality being the human longing for narratives and mythic explanations of who we are, why we are, where we are, and how long we get to stay here.
Where religion and mythic story once provided the spiritual narrative of human meaning, now science-properly spiritualized, one may guess, under the guiding hand of scientists who are spirituality friendly, like Frank--can and will shape a new mythic narrative to satisfy the human need for a story with sacred depth. I don't think so, not from Frank, at any rate. Where most religions say we are embodied souls, Frank says instead, "We are embodied social animals." Cool. If we can but channel our religious impulse--drained of sullen creationist, fundamentalist, intelligent-design stuff--toward a spiritual appreciation of the Big Bang and all that, our species will thrive. The book is not without some value. Frank deconstructs "silly science," such as The Tao of Physics, pretty well. But as a writer explaining his sense of reverence drawn from an encounter with the universe, let's just say the legacy of Loren Eiseley is secure.
Rather than resolving the debate between religion and science, I suggest that it is a good thing to let it go on, and long may it continue. I see litde good in upgrading science to a spiritual exercise, as Frank does, and even less value in suggesting that science may confirm religion (or the other way around), as Hugh Ross attempts in Why the Universe Is the Way It Is. Religion must keep itself open to the findings of science, pointing in faith to the wonders of creation revealed. But at the same time, science must respect the boundaries around its inquiries and restrain itself from answering questions it may not properly ask.
Saltzman, Russell E.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Saltzman, Russell E. "The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science & Religion Debate." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, no. 203, 2010, p. 63. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A224167025/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=83f9043f. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A224167025
Frank, Adam. The constant fire: beyond the science vs. religion debate
C.G. Wood
CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. 46.8 (Apr. 2009): p1520.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2009 American Library Association CHOICE
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/about
Full Text:
46-4391
BL245
2008-25402 CIP
Frank, Adam. The constant fire: beyond the science vs. religion debate. California, 2009. 288p index afp ISBN 9780520254121, $24.95
This is not just another book about the science versus religion debate, even though Frank (astrophysics, Univ. of Rochester) covers many of the obligatory topics, such as evolution and intelligent design, and the Bible's Genesis account of creation as opposed to the big bang. In fact, the author states that the age-old battles of science and organized religion are essentially irrelevant in this new millennium. He makes it plain, however, that he does not buy into the current popularity of Eastern and New Age ideas, which he characterizes as "silly" and as destructive to rational discussion as the ideas of rigid fundamentalists. The real goal, writes Frank, is to explore the relationship between the pursuit of science and the "sacred"--meaning a spirituality not connected to any organized religious belief system. He titled this book after humanity's drive to learn what is true, both through science and spiritual endeavors, and to live lives based on that understanding. This is a must read for anyone interested in a fresh look at this topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. *** General, professional, and academic audiences, lower-division undergraduates and above.--C. G. Wood, formerly, Eastern Maine Community College
Wood, C.G.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Wood, C.G. "Frank, Adam. The constant fire: beyond the science vs. religion debate." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, Apr. 2009, p. 1520. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A266630644/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=fd07430d. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A266630644