Professor Stephen Hawking
Professor Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist famed for his work on black holes and the Big Bang, as well as publishing the popular science bookA Brief History of Time,has diedat the age of 76.
Undergraduate study
Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England to Frank and Isobel Hawking. He had two younger sisters, Philippa and Mary, and an adopted brother, Edward.
As an undergraduate, Hawking attended Oxford University and received a first-class honours degree in Natural Sciences, although he claimedto have studied for only 1,000 hours to achieve it.
Hawking the cosmologist
As a postgraduate student at Cambridge University, Hawking began working on cosmic singularities – points in space-time that have zero volume and infinite gravitational strength, predicted to exist according toAlbert Einstein’sGeneral Theory of Relativity.
Inspired by Roger Penrose’s theory that singularities exist at the centre of black holes, Hawking applied the same concept to the Universe, concluding that it must have started in such a singularity: the Big Bang.
Motor neurone disease takes hold
During his time at Cambridge Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, also known as, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although he was expected to live for only two more years, he lived on for over 50years, becomingone of the foremost figures in science.
Hawking Radiation
In 1974, Hawking published a paper showing that quantum effects around black holes leads them to emit radiation (later dubbed ‘Hawking Radiation’), shrink, and explode. Such radiation or explosions have never been detected, but the theoretical link he demonstrated between thermodynamics, quantum theory and gravity is still being explored, and may well be crucial to an ultimate theory of everything.
Personal life
Stephen Hawking met his first wife, Jane Wilde, when at Cambridge and they were married in 1965. As his disease worsened, the weight of looking after their three children, Robert, Lucy and Timothy, took its toll on their marriage and the couple separated in 1995. He soon after married his nurse Elaine Mason, although they too divorced in 2006.
A Brief History Of Time
In 1988, Hawking’s landmark bookA Brief History Of Timewas published. This exploration of space, time andblack holesbrought cosmology to the masses and would go on to sell more than 10 million copies.
The Grand Design
The publication ofThe Grand Designin 2010, co-authored with Leonard Mlodinow, claimed to provide “answers to the ultimate questions of life”. Evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheistRichard Dawkinssaid of the book "Darwinism kicked God out of biology but physics remained more uncertain. Hawking is now administering the coup de grace."
Popular culture
A keen fan of science fiction and popular culture, Stephen Hawking appeared in many TV shows, includingStar Trek: The Next Generation,The Simpsons,Futurama, andThe Big Bang Theory.
Lesser known works
Although less familiar to the public, Hawking worked on aspects of quantum gravity, aiming for a so-called ‘theory of everything’ that unifies the incompatible theories of the very small (quantum physics) and very large (the General Theory of Relativity).
His first significant work in this area in 1980 was in support of a now-dismissed theory named ‘N=8 Supergravity’. Unlike other theories linked to the idea of fundamental particles having ‘supersymmetric’ partners, this had the advantage of only requiring four dimensions of space and time.
More recently, Hawking focused his ‘theory of everything’ efforts on string theory.
The future of humanity
Stephen Hawking frequently raised concerns about the future of humanity and in 2006 issued the first of hiswarningson risks for human survival, ranging from nuclear self-destruction and being dominated by AI to alien invaders.
Life in film
In 2014, Hawking was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in the Bafta award-winningfilmThe Theory Of Everything,based on the bookTravelling To Infinityby Hawking’s ex-wife Jane. It is not the first time his life was portrayed in film, Benedict Cumberbatch played him in the 2004 BBC filmHawking.
Campaigner
Although Hawking’s condition with motor neuron disease steadily deteriorated, he was a strong patron of disability outreach. As well as fighting to protect disability rights and the right to die for the terminally ill, he also narrated theopening ceremonyof the London 2012 Paralympic Games, accepted theIce Bucket Challengeand has even experienced weightlessness.
The hunt for extra-terrestrial life
In April 2016, Stephen Hawking, along with Yuri Milner and Facebook’s Mark ZuckerbergannouncedBreakthrough Starshot, an ambitious project to send tiny StarChips to Alpha Centauri in the hunt for extra terrestrials.
Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)
Hawking diedpeacefully in his sleep on the morning of Wednesday 14 March 2018.
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