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Adam Frank Takes a Deep Dive into the Possibilities of Water on Uranus, Neptune

Dec 3, 2024

1 min

Adam Frank


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Adam Frank recently interviewed with national media about the potential for water to exist on the farthest planets in our solar system, Uranus and Neptune. Is it true that where there's water, the possibility for life often follows? Does this study mean that humans or other developed life forms could some day inhabit these neighboring planets? What about microbes? What do these vast oceans look like and how deep are they?

“We’ve been asking the question about life in the universe for more than 2,000 years and we’re finally on the cusp of getting data that will tell us one way or the other."


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Adam Frank

Adam Frank

Professor of astrophysics, science commentator, and popular author

Frank is a leading expert on how stars form and how they die, as well as civilizations before humans

Extraterrestrial LifeSpace DiscoveriesLife on Other PlanetsCivilizations and climate changeTheoretical Astrophysics

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Research Matters: Can Neurons Transmit Light?

Neurons, the cells in brains and spinal cords that make up the central nervous system, communicate by firing electrical pulses. But scientists have found hints that neurons may transmit light as well, which would profoundly change our current understanding of how the nervous system works. Researchers from the University of Rochester have begun an ambitious project to study if living neurons can transmit light through their axons — the long, tail-like nerve fibers of neurons that resemble optical fibers. “There are scientific papers offering indications that light transport could happen in neuron axons, but there’s still not clear experimental evidence,” says the principal investigator, Pablo Postigo, a professor at the university's Institute of Optics. “Scientists have shown that there is ultra-weak photon emission in the brain, but no one understands why the light is there.” If light is at play and scientists can understand why, it could have major implications for medically treating brain diseases and drastically change the way physicians heal the brain. To learn more about Postigo's research, contact him at ppostigo@ur.rochester.edu.

2 min

Why generative AI 'hallucinates' and makes up stuff

Generative artificial intelligence tools, like OpenAI’s GPT-4, are sometimes full of bunk. Yes, they excel at tasks involving human language, like translating, writing essays, and acting as a personalized writing tutor. They even ace standardized tests. And they’re rapidly improving. But they also “hallucinate,” which is the term scientists use to describe when AI tools produce information that sounds plausible but is incorrect. Worse, they do so with such confidence that their errors are sometimes difficult to spot. Christopher Kanan, an associate professor of computer science with an appointment at the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Rochester, explains that the reasoning and planning capabilities of AI tools are still limited compared with those of humans, who excel at continual learning. “They don’t continually learn from experience,” Kanan says of AI tools. “Their knowledge is effectively frozen after training, meaning they lack awareness of recent developments or ongoing changes in the world.” Current generative AI systems also lack what’s known as metacognition. “That means they typically don’t know what they don’t know, and they rarely ask clarifying questions when faced with uncertainty or ambiguous prompts,” Kanan says. “This absence of self-awareness limits their effectiveness in real-world interactions.” Kanan is an expert in artificial intelligence, continual learning, and brain-inspired algorithms who welcomes inquiries from journalists and knowledge seekers. He recently shared his thoughts on AI with WAMC Northeast Public Radio and with the University of Rochester News Center. Reach out to Kanan by clicking on his profile.

2 min

Ask the expert: What's the real deal when colleges say they're 'test-optional'? Do they want a student to submit scores or not?

Are test-optional colleges being straight with students when they say the absence of SAT and ACT scores on an application won’t affect a student’s chances of being admitted? “Colleges are not trying to trick or trap applicants,” says Robert Alexander, who oversees the admissions process at the University of Rochester, where he is a vice provost and the dean of enrollment management. “No one is trying to fool anyone into thinking, ‘I don’t have to submit a test score,’ when that test score is secretly make-or-break.” Much more important in any academic assessment, Alexander says, is and always has been the four years of academic performance detailed in an applicant’s high school transcript. He says most colleges, including Rochester, take a deep dive into the transcript to not only consider the student’s grade point average, but also the rigor of the high school and its curriculum and why the student selected certain courses. “Some students are limited by the opportunities offered at their schools,” Alexander says. “In that case, colleges look for what they have done to utilize their resources and push beyond those limitations.” The University of Rochester has a test-optional policy. The average standardized test score of incoming students has been trending upward, in part because the students who are most likely to submit their scores on their applications are those with strong scores. Alexander says prospective students and their families can use the average test scores at the college or university they’re considering as a barometer, but not the arbiter of whether a student will gain acceptance. “I think admissions officers are being as transparent as possible in telling students what they require,” Alexander says. Alexander is an expert in undergraduate admissions and enrollment management who speaks on the subjects to national audiences and whose work has been published in national publications. Click his profile to reach him.

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