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The late Professor Stephen Hawking revealed his answers to 10 "big questions" that were often asked in a new book published six months after his death.
In "Brief Answers to Big Questions", the British science hero admitted that there is "no god" and that humans would eventually live in space.
Professor Hawking died in March of this year after a long battle with motor neuron disease.
A theoretic physicist, cosmologist and acclaimed author, Hawking was one of the brightest minds in Britain.
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He has now revealed his thoughts on some of the most difficult issues of current science, including the existence of God, time travel and the future of artificial intelligence.
You can read his answers to 10 of the most urgent questions below.
1. colonization of space
"I think that a hundred years from now, we will be able to travel anywhere in the solar system, with the exception perhaps of the outer planets," he said.
The late professor described how humans "stood at the threshold of a new era" and said that colonizing other planets was no longer science fiction.
"I am optimistic that we will ultimately create sustainable habitats for the human race on other planets," he wrote.
"We will transcend the Earth and learn to exist in space."
2. The future of A.I.
Hawking is convinced that computers are "likely to outnumber humans in intelligence" at some point in the next 100 years.
"We could be faced with an explosion of intelligence that would eventually lead to machines whose intelligence far exceeds that of snails," he said.
He also warned of the risks: "When this happens, we will have to make sure that the goals of the computer are aligned with ours.
"It's tempting to dismiss the notion of very intelligent machines as mere science fiction, but that would be a mistake – and potentially our worst mistake ever."
3. Genetic engineering
Hawking not only fears the AI - but also the risks of genetic engineering, claiming that it could "destroy the entire human race".
"A nuclear war remains the most immediate danger, but there are others, such as the release of a genetically modified virus," he said.
"Laws are likely to be passed against genetic engineering in humans, however, some people will not resist the temptation to improve human characteristics, such as memory size, disease resistance and lifetime.
"Once such superhumans appear, there will be major political problems with unimproved humans who will not be able to compete."
4. The theory of everything
Hawking sought after developing a "theory of everything" that would explain everything.
Will this happen one day? The professor wrote, "What are the prospects for us to discover this complete theory in the next millennium?" I would say that they were very good, but I am optimistic.
"In 1980, I thought we would have a 50% chance of discovering a complete unified theory over the next 20 years." Since then, we have made remarkable progress, but the final theory seems to be about the same distance. a way."
5. Brexit
Stephen Hawking was also very concerned about Brexit, reveals his book.
"We also risk becoming culturally isolated and insular, and increasingly distant from places where progress is being made.
"Unfortunately, we can not go back in time.
"With Brexit and Trump exerting new strengths in immigration and educational development, we are witnessing a worldwide revolt against experts, including scientists."
He added, "What can we do to ensure the future of science and technology education?" So I come back to my teacher, Mr. Tahta. education must be based on inspiring schools and teachers. "
6. The future of scientific discovery
Similarly, Hawking is very concerned about the "low esteem" in which scientists are held – and says that this has "serious consequences".
"We live in a society increasingly governed by science and technology, but fewer and fewer young people want to get into science," said the late professor.
"A new and ambitious space program would excite young people and encourage them to embark on a wide range of sciences, not just astrophysics and space science."
He added: "I advocate that all young people be familiar with scientific subjects and have confidence in them no matter what they have chosen to do.
"They must have scientific knowledge and be inspired by the development of science and technology to learn more."
7. Climate change
Like most scientists, Stephen Hawking warned of the risks of climate change.
In his book, he explained that it was perhaps just too late to address the problems caused by climate change.
"Global warming is caused by all of us – we want cars, travel and a better standard of living.
"The problem is that when people realize what's going on, it may be too late, while we're at the dawn of a second nuclear age and From an unprecedented period of climate change, scientists have a special responsibility, once again, to inform the public and advise leaders on the dangers that humanity faces.
"As scientists, we understand the dangers of nuclear weapons and their devastating effects, and we learn how human activities and technologies affect climate systems so as to forever change life on Earth."
8. The landing of the moon
The legendary lunar landing of 1969 in the United States raises a lot of skepticism about bribes, but Hawking is not convinced by the plots – and said that it was all about money-laundering. a pivotal moment for humanity.
On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the surface of the moon, which changed the future of the human race.
"I was 27 years old at the time and I was a researcher in Cambridge, I was missing.I was attending a meeting about the singularities in Liverpool and I was listening to a lecture from René Thom on the theory of disasters at the time of disembarkation.
"There was no catch-up TV at that time and we did not have a TV, but my two-year-old son described it to us."
9. Time travel
Stephen Hawking said that time travel is an important topic, but "you have to be careful not to be labeled as a crank".
He expressed concern that grant applications for time travel research may not be successful.
"No government agency could afford to spend public money as a means of transportation in time," wrote Hawking.
"Instead, use technical terms such as closed time curves that are a code for a time travel.
"Still, it's a very serious question, since general relativity can allow a trip back in time, does that allow it in our universe?"
Hawking organized a party for time travelers in his Cambridge College in 2009.
To ensure that only time travelers came, he sent the invitations after the party – but unfortunately no one came.
10. faith
The deceased professor was an esteemed scholar, and spent much of his time thinking about the world's most serious problems.
And in matters of religion, it is not surprising that Professor Hawking had a lot of opinions.
"Do I have faith? We are free to believe what we want, and I think the simplest explanation is that there is no God.
"No one has created the universe and no one is directing our destiny.
"This leads me to a deep awareness: there is probably no paradise and beyond.
"I think that believing in a life after death is just wishful thinking, there is no reliable evidence on this and it contradicts all we know in science.
"I think that when we die, we fall back into the dust, but there is a sense in which we live, in our influence and in our genes that we transmit to our children.
"We have this life to appreciate the great design of the universe and I am extremely grateful to him."
This story originally appeared on The Sun.
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