Gabrielle and Arianna speak with University of Rochester professor Adam Frank about his new book Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, a book on climate change, sustainability and alien civilizations.

ADAM Frank is a physics professor at the prestigious University of RochesterHis 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 and exo-civilizations. He is the co-founder of National Public Radio’s Cosmos and Culture blog as well as a regular on-air commentator for All Things Considered

He has written a number of books, including The Constant Fire: Beyond the Religion and Science 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 also wrote, Astronomy: At Play in the Cosmos. His latest book is , Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, which explores both climate change and the search for alien life in the universe.

They also discuss the Drake equation for estimating the possibility of alien civilizations (illustration below from SETI.org)