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A thousand years from now, humans will not be living on Earth
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
World-famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking predicted that humanity would disappear from the face of the Earth in a thousand years during his speech at Oxford University. Based on his findings, the scientist called on the scientific community to more actively study space and the possibilities of traveling through it.
The scientist believes that people may disappear from planet Earth for various reasons – nuclear war, the emergence of more advanced artificial intelligence, a genetically modified virus, etc.
Professor Hawking said that the significant advances made in recent years in understanding the laws of the universe are still incomplete and perhaps the day will come in the near future when people will use gravitational waves to understand how our universe came into being. The scientist also noted that people still have a chance to be saved and for this, scientists need to continue to explore space and look for planets that would replace Earth, otherwise humans will cease to exist as a species.
In his new book, the scientist also calls on the younger generation of scientists to more actively study space and the possibility of conquering new planets, which will help find answers to a number of existing questions, for example, whether there are other forms of life in the universe, whether humans can live in space, etc.
Stephen Hawking suffers from amyotrophic sclerosis, which led to almost complete paralysis. The disease was diagnosed in 1963 and, according to doctors' prognosis, Hawking had only a few years to live. But despite this, Hawking only moved to a wheelchair in the late 60s. In 1985, after severe pneumonia, Hawking underwent a tracheostomy and lost the ability to speak normally. Thanks to the help of friends, the scientist was able to continue communicating with others using a speech synthesizer. Hawking became almost immobilized due to the progression of the disease - at first, some mobility was preserved in the index finger of his right hand, and then only in the cheek muscle responsible for facial expressions. Opposite this muscle, the synthesizer sensor is attached, through which Hawking controls the computer and can communicate with others.
Hawking, at 74, not only lectures and makes predictions about the future of the Earth, but also actively attracts the public to study the universe. 9 years ago, he flew on a special plane in zero gravity, and a few years later he was supposed to fly into outer space, which was canceled for some reason. But Hawking continues to study under the program for flights into outer space, which was developed especially for him.
The professor notes that he, like mathematicians, studied the “queen of sciences” only at school and in his first year of teaching at Oxford, he, like his students, studied science, with only one exception – he was ahead of them by several weeks.
Stephen Hawking is currently involved in several large projects aimed at discovering alien life forms. The scientist plans to rent several large radio telescopes, hire a team of astronomers and pay them to develop new equipment, after which Hawking intends to listen to what is happening not only in our galaxy, but also in neighboring ones.