CAMBRIDGE, England — Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking was too ill to attend a conference in honor of his 70th birthday Sunday, but in a recorded message played to attendees, he repeated his call for humans to colonize other worlds.
University of Cambridge vice chancellor Leszek Borysiewicz told the conference that Hawking, who is almost completely paralyzed because of Lou Gehrig’s disease, had only recently been discharged from the hospital for an unspecified ailment.
“Unfortunately, his recovery has not been fast enough for him to be able to be here,” Borysiew icz said.
In his recorded speech, Hawking pleaded for interplanetary travel, arguing that humans faced a grim future unless they spread out from their terrestrial home. “I don’t think we will survive another thousand years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,” he said.
Hawking’s speech — delivered in his distinctive, robotic monotone — charmed the audience of scientists, students and journalists gathered at Cambridge’s Lady Mitchell Hall.
Colleagues, including Nobel Prize winner Saul Perlmutter and renowned astronomer Martin Rees, hailed Hawking as one of the most important physicists since Albert Einstein.
Borysiewicz said Hawking had “transformed our understanding of space and time, black holes, and the origins of the universe,” adding that he hoped that the scientist was watching the proceedings online.
“If you’re listening, Stephen, happy birthday from all of us here today,” Borysiewicz said to a round of applause.
