Luke Barnes

I am a Lecturer in Physics at Western Sydney University, Australia. I work on cosmology, galaxy formation, and the fine-tuning of the universe for life.

My CV is here. Follow me on Twitter and YouTube. Some of my favourite posts can be found here.

Jump to News, Publications, Book, Articles, Videos, and Contact Information.

---

News

• 15/5/18: New Press Release: Simulations of Galaxy Formation in the Multiverse
• 14/5/18: I’ve started a new postdoctoral position at Western Sydney University.
• 7/10/16: “A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos” is available! Order now!
• 20/11/15: Professor Geraint Lewis and I have written a popular-level  book on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life, titled  “A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely-Tuned Cosmos”. It will  be published by Cambridge University Press in mid-2016. More details soon!

---

Publications

My scientific publications can be found on ADS and Google Scholar.

---

Book – A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos

By Geraint Lewis and Luke Barnes, Cambridge University Press (2016).

Blurb: Over the last forty 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.

Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog.

Available in hardback, ebook and audiobook: Cambridge University Press, Amazon, Book Depository, Audible, iTunes.

---

Articles

• Can Dark Energy Kill Galaxies? Nautilus, March 23, 2017.
• Review: The Big Picture by Sean Carroll. Inference: International Review of
  Science. December 31, 2016.
• Our Place in the Cosmos: Fine-Tuning and Life, in The New Atlantis.
• Have cosmologists lost their minds in the multiverse?, with Geraint Lewis in The Conversation (May 13, 2014).
• Cosmology Q&A. Australian Physics, 51, 2, March 2014.
• A universe from nothing? Putting the Krauss-Craig debate into perspective. ABC Online Opinion, August 2013

---

Videos

• Alas Lewis and Barnes! Fortnightly videos in conversation with Geraint Lewis, about Life, the Universe and Everything!
• A Fortunate Universe: A Roundtable Discussion. A roundtable discussion on the fine-tuning of the universe for life, with philosophers Barry Loewer (Rutgers), Hans Halvorson (Princeton), Tim Maudlin (NYU) and Alex Pruss (Baylor). Held at Rutgers University, February 21, 2017.
• Fine-Tuning Conversations: Luke Barnes and David Sloan. A four-part interview with physicist David Sloan about the fine-tuning of the universe for life, at Trinity College, Oxford in 2016.
• Is fine tuning real? Introduces our book, ‘A Fortunate Universe’ at Cambridge University Press.
• Over the Edge: This Universe and More. Presented at “Edges of Astronomy”, 2014, hosted by the Australian Academy of Science.
• A Beginner’s Guide to Cosmological Speculation. Presented at the Philosophy of Cosmology UK/US Conference (2014).
• Black Hole Q&A. A series of questions about black holes for a school project, including: How do scientists know there is a supermassive black hole in the centre of every galaxy? Can black holes die?
• The Fine Tuning of the Universe for Life (Part 1) and Part 2. UCSC Summer School for the Philosophy of Cosmology, 2013.
• The Universe, Multiverse and Fine-Tuning (Part 1), Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Delivered at the 2011 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion.
• Getting your brain around the universe. Given at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge in November 2008.

---

Contact Information

Office Y2 13
Building Y
Penrith (Kingswood) Campus,Western Sydney University
NSW, Australia 2751

Email: L.Barnes2 at westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 47360 610

Advertisement

This page has the following sub pages.

• Luke’s Posts