ABOUT
Nadia Drake is a freelance science journalist and contributing writer at National Geographic. She specializes in covering astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science, as well as anything involving jungles and spiders. Her byline has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Nature, Wired, and Science News, among other publications. Nadia frequently hits the road in search of stories and has reported from the jungles of Peru and Indonesian Borneo, the Arctic Ocean, Mars-on-Earth, a flying telescope, the deserts of the Middle East, and the slumping glaciers at Mt. Kilimanjaro's summit.
Nadia has a PhD in genetics, from Cornell University, and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. When she's not working, Nadia is probably tasting sparkling wine, clinging to the side of a rock face, or snuggled up with her pup.
Photo by Christopher Michel.
FRANK DONALD DRAKE
May 28, 1930—September 2, 2022
Frank Drake died peacefully at home in Aptos, California on September 2, of natural causes. He was 92.
My Papa D was beloved by many, and for many reasons, but above all, today I celebrate his humanity, his tenderness, his gentle spirit. A titan in life, Dad leaves a titanic absence. He was special to many of you, so on behalf of everyone whose lives he touched: We love you, Dad. You loved us, you taught us, you guided us. Ad astra, my sweet Papa D. The stars are lucky.
Frank is survived by his wife of 44 years, Amahl Shakhashiri Drake; daughters Nadia Drake (Scott Ransom), and Leila Drake Fossek (Chris Fossek); from a previous marriage, sons Steve Drake, Richard Drake (Alice Moore) and Paul Drake (Ellen Sullivan); daughters-in-law Mary and Kim; grandchildren Cruz Drake Fossek, Elizabeth Harris Drake, Spencer Drake and Grace Drake; nieces and nephew Elizabeth Reynolds, Jim and Susan Quigley; brother Bob Drake; and siblings-in-law Bassam and Maha Shakhashiri. He was preceded in death by his sister Alma Quigley.
If you are moved to do something kind in Frank's memory, we’d love for donations in his name to go to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (or your local crisis center). For nine years, Dad volunteered as a suicide prevention counselor, working the overnight shift in Ithaca, NY. He didn’t talk about those times very much, but when he did, he said they were the most important hours of his life—and his greatest accomplishment. I can picture him quietly talking people through the worst moments of their lives, helping them see another sunrise. That’s who he was. He cared so much about people he’d never meet, and he loved life so much that he needed to help us love it too—if even just a tiny bit more.
“My husband Frank was a great human being—I really could write pages about him, but maybe that’s a job for later. His professional greatness was well-documented and known publicly. Being married to him, I began to notice his greatness on a much smaller scale—how he treats his family, his gentleness, his kindness, his witticism, his tenderness, and above all, his boyish love of life and how he projects excitement to everybody around him.”
— Amahl Drake
"My sweet dad was a beautiful human. He lived life with curiosity and humility, was a master storyteller and a deep thinker, and had a gentle, loving spirit that was expressed through patience, humor, and great care for humanity. He taught me about altruism, he always ate dessert with a small spoon so that it would last longer, he was always there to help and give advice. He loved this planet and all its magical intricacies, and he loved the endless possibilities that the universe around us inspires. A true renaissance man with a heart of gold, he savored life just as he savored dessert, and we all savored life with him. He is already profoundly missed, and will always be greatly admired.”
— Leila Drake Fossek
RECENT STORIES
WHY ALIEN HUNTERS HAVE SPENT 60 YEARS FINDING NEW SOLUTIONS FOR THE DRAKE EQUATION.
National Geographic News
November 30, 2021
Astronomer Frank Drake came up with the famous formula as he prepared for a meeting in 1961. It still guides the search for intelligent life beyond Earth.
THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL SPACE TELESCOPE HAS LAUNCHED AT LAST
National Geographic News
December 25, 2021
Decades of tension, debate, and determination have led to this moment, as the James Webb Space Telescope begins its million-mile journey into deep space.
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO DANG OBSESSED WITH MARS?
National Geographic Magazine,
March 2021
The dusty red planet has fascinated us for centuries. Even as we learn more, its mysteries keep us in suspense.
NASA SENT A MAP TO SPACE TO HELP ALIENS FIND EARTH. NOW IT NEEDS AN UPDATE.
National Geographic Magazine,
October 2020
The map that NASA launched in 1972 could lead extraterrestrials to Earth. A new map, nearly 50 years later, provides even better directions.
CLIPS
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO DANG OBSESSED WITH MARS?
National Geographic Magazine, March 2021
The dusty red planet has fascinated us for centuries. Even as we learn more, its mysteries keep us in suspense.
THE JAGUAR IS MADE FOR THE AGE OF HUMANS
The Atlantic,
May 10, 2018
A writer comes face-to-face with the cat deep in the Amazon jungle and left with a new understanding of its surprising resilience to poaching and habitat loss.
SHOULD NEIL ARMSTRONG'S BOOTPRINTS BE ON THE MOON FOREVER?
The New York Times,
July 11, 2019
With renewed interest in the moon, some say it’s time to consider whether, and how, to preserve humanity’s lunar heritage.
AN ISOLATED TRIBE IS EMERGING FROM PERU’S AMAZONIAN WILDERNESS
National Geographic,
October 13, 2015
After years of sporadic, sometimes deadly interactions with people along the Alto Madre de Dios River, a Mashco-Piro clan has suddenly stepped up contact.
THEY SAW EARTH FROM SPACE. HERE’S HOW IT CHANGED THEM
National Geographic Magazine,
March 2018
The majesty of our planet can be difficult to describe. But these astronauts will try.
THE WORLD'S SECOND-BIGGEST EBOLA OUTBREAK IS STILL RAGING. HERE'S WHY
National Geographic,
July 17, 2020
Despite a coordinated response and a vaccine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s struggle with the deadly virus seems to have no quick end in sight.
ONWARD AND SKYWARD
Science News,
November 16, 2012
With new efforts aimed at the stars, China seeks to revive its astronomical reputation.
HOW OLD ARE SATURN’S RINGS? THE DEBATE RAGES ON
Scientific American,
April 18, 2019
Pinning down the ring system’s age has profound implications for the entire Saturnian system
PLUTO,
AT LAST
National Geographic Magazine,
July 2015
After almost a decade in flight, New Horizons is approaching the enigmatic dwarf planet. What it will find there is anybody’s guess.
HERE’S WHY WOMEN MAY BE THE BEST SUITED FOR SPACEFLIGHT
National Geographic Magazine,
July 2019
Physically and mentally, women have the right stuff for expeditions into deep space. So why send male astronauts at all?
OUR NIGHTS ARE GETTING BRIGHTER, AND EARTH IS PAYING THE PRICE
National Geographic,
April 3, 2019
Electric lights have revolutionized our lives, but as illumination increases, the toll on wildlife and human health is becoming harder to ignore.
IF ALIEN LIFE EXISTS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, IT MAY LOOK LIKE THIS
National Geographic,
November 11, 2019
Pictures of deep-sea vents hidden below ice offer some of our first looks at creatures thriving in conditions akin to those on watery moons.
MY DAD LAUNCHED THE QUEST TO FIND ALIEN INTELLIGENCE. IT CHANGED ASTRONOMY.
National Geographic,
June 19, 2020
Sixty years ago, on a chilly West Virginia morning, Frank Drake began to scan the stars for signals from faraway civilizations.
NASA SENT A MAP TO SPACE TO HELP ALIENS FIND EARTH. NOW IT NEEDS AN UPDATE.
National Geographic Magazine,
October 2020
The map that NASA launched in 1972 could lead extraterrestrials to Earth. A new map, nearly 50 years later, provides even better directions.
WALKING WITH PUMAS
UCSC Science Notes,
2011
Santa Cruz biologists are tracking a consummate predator, the elusive mountain lion.
NEW GIANT TARANTULA DISCOVERED IN SRI LANKA
WIRED, April 2, 2013
A new type of tarantula about the size of your face has been found in northern Sri Lanka.
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