Try free for 30 days
-
A Fortunate Universe
- Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos
- Narrated by: Geraint F. Lewis, Luke A. Barnes
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $27.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook
- (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang)
- By: Luke A. Barnes, Geraint F. Lewis
- Narrated by: Toby Longworth
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For all those who wonder about this bizarre universe and those who want to overthrow the big bang, this handbook gives you "just the facts": the observations that have shaped these ideas and theories. While the big bang holds the attention of scientists, it isn't perfect. The authors pull back the curtains and show how cosmology really works.
-
A Brief History of Black Holes
- And Why Nearly Everything You Know About Them Is Wrong
- By: Dr Becky Smethurst
- Narrated by: Dr. Becky Smethurst
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Right now, you are orbiting a black hole. The Earth goes around the Sun, and the Sun goes around the centre of the Milky Way: a supermassive black hole—the strangest and most misunderstood phenomenon in the galaxy. In A Brief History of Black Holes, University of Oxford astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst charts the scientific breakthroughs that have uncovered the weird and wonderful world of black holes, from Hawking radiation to the iconic first photographs of a black hole in 2019.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Aussie Bloke on 01-03-2024
-
The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
-
-
Amazing book
- By Toby on 28-06-2018
-
The Elegant Universe
- Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
-
-
amazing book
- By BeachSamurai on 03-10-2021
-
The Universe
- The Book of the BBC TV Series Presented by Professor Brian Cox
- By: Andrew Cohen, Professor Brian Cox - foreword
- Narrated by: Brian Cox, Professor Jot Davies
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a foreword from Professor Brian Cox and access to all the latest NASA mission information, Andrew Cohen takes listeners on a voyage of discovery via the probes and telescopes exploring the outer reaches of our galaxy, revealing how it was formed and how it will inevitably be destroyed by the enigmatic black hole at its heart. And beyond our galaxy, the expanding universe, which holds clues to the biggest mystery of all - how did it all begin?
-
-
Loved it
- By Anonymous User on 28-03-2024
-
The Planets
- By: Professor Brian Cox, Andrew Cohen
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mercury, a lifeless victim of the Sun’s expanding power. Venus, once thought to be lush and fertile, now known to be trapped within a toxic and boiling atmosphere. Mars, the red planet, doomed by the loss of its atmosphere. Jupiter, twice the size of all the other planets combined, but insubstantial. Saturn, a stunning celestial beauty, the jewel of our Solar System. Uranus, the sideways planet and the first ice giant. Neptune, dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. Pluto, the dwarf planet, a frozen rock.
-
-
So detailed - You’ve got to listen hard
- By Ken Oldfield on 12-09-2023
-
The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook
- (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang)
- By: Luke A. Barnes, Geraint F. Lewis
- Narrated by: Toby Longworth
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For all those who wonder about this bizarre universe and those who want to overthrow the big bang, this handbook gives you "just the facts": the observations that have shaped these ideas and theories. While the big bang holds the attention of scientists, it isn't perfect. The authors pull back the curtains and show how cosmology really works.
-
A Brief History of Black Holes
- And Why Nearly Everything You Know About Them Is Wrong
- By: Dr Becky Smethurst
- Narrated by: Dr. Becky Smethurst
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Right now, you are orbiting a black hole. The Earth goes around the Sun, and the Sun goes around the centre of the Milky Way: a supermassive black hole—the strangest and most misunderstood phenomenon in the galaxy. In A Brief History of Black Holes, University of Oxford astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst charts the scientific breakthroughs that have uncovered the weird and wonderful world of black holes, from Hawking radiation to the iconic first photographs of a black hole in 2019.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Aussie Bloke on 01-03-2024
-
The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
-
-
Amazing book
- By Toby on 28-06-2018
-
The Elegant Universe
- Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
-
-
amazing book
- By BeachSamurai on 03-10-2021
-
The Universe
- The Book of the BBC TV Series Presented by Professor Brian Cox
- By: Andrew Cohen, Professor Brian Cox - foreword
- Narrated by: Brian Cox, Professor Jot Davies
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a foreword from Professor Brian Cox and access to all the latest NASA mission information, Andrew Cohen takes listeners on a voyage of discovery via the probes and telescopes exploring the outer reaches of our galaxy, revealing how it was formed and how it will inevitably be destroyed by the enigmatic black hole at its heart. And beyond our galaxy, the expanding universe, which holds clues to the biggest mystery of all - how did it all begin?
-
-
Loved it
- By Anonymous User on 28-03-2024
-
The Planets
- By: Professor Brian Cox, Andrew Cohen
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mercury, a lifeless victim of the Sun’s expanding power. Venus, once thought to be lush and fertile, now known to be trapped within a toxic and boiling atmosphere. Mars, the red planet, doomed by the loss of its atmosphere. Jupiter, twice the size of all the other planets combined, but insubstantial. Saturn, a stunning celestial beauty, the jewel of our Solar System. Uranus, the sideways planet and the first ice giant. Neptune, dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. Pluto, the dwarf planet, a frozen rock.
-
-
So detailed - You’ve got to listen hard
- By Ken Oldfield on 12-09-2023
Publisher's Summary
Over the last 40 years, scientists have uncovered evidence that if the universe had been forged with even slightly different properties, life as we know it - and life as we can imagine it - would be impossible. Join us on a journey through how we understand the universe, from its most basic particles and forces to planets, stars, and galaxies, and back through cosmic history to the birth of the cosmos.
Conflicting notions about our place in the universe are defined, defended, and critiqued from scientific, philosophical, and religious viewpoints. The authors' engaging and witty style addresses what fine tuning might mean for the future of physics and the search for the ultimate laws of nature. Tackling difficult questions and providing thought-provoking answers, this volumes challenges us to consider our place in the cosmos, regardless of our initial convictions.
What listeners say about A Fortunate Universe
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NM
- 04-08-2020
Brilliant Big History listening
Having had the pleasure of meeting Professor Geraint Lewis recently I was eager to read his publications. A Fortunate Universe is a fantastic voyage of learning to find out just what needed to happen to create the human nursery. Lewis narrates most of the book personally in a very pleasant and compelling voice. What struck me most was how the authors "tweaked" the various cosmological and quantum forces each in turn to see how the Universe might change. What if the speed of light were different? What if gravity were weaker? How does Dark Energy interact with matter? I cannot recommend this book more for the keen home astronomer or student who wants a better understanding of their place in the universe based on the current understanding of the 2 models.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 20-09-2022
A fortunate read
Well-presented study of the Fine Tuning problem. Had to start it again straight after finishing to try and wrap my tiny brain around a lot of the details, but that's certainly no fault of the authors'.
Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!