By Adam Frank

Originally published at: https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2012/03/25/149337934/why-the-13-7-community-rocks

I just wanted to pass a long a conversation I had last week when I gave a talk at the Chicago Council on Science & Technology. After I was done giving a presentation on my book, (in a beautiful auditorium on the Chicago campus of Northwestern University), a young man approached me. Rather than ask a question about string theory or my philosophy of science, he quite articulately described why he was happy to have found 13.7 Cosmos and Culture.

“The comments,” he said. “They are so thoughtful and civil.”

I could not agree more. When I go to other sites associated with well-trafficked media outlets and read the comments it can, sometimes, make me fear for humanity. But as the young gentleman observed, the comments on this blog are (in general) thoughtful, respectful, incisive and sometimes very, very funny. I learn a great deal from the commenters to these posts and it’s clear others do too.

“It’s like a breath of fresh air” said the young man before he left. “There is so much hostility everywhere. It’s great to see a place where there’s an actual conversation happening”.

True that.

Thanks everyone.