Stephen Hawking, who died on Wednesday morning aged 76, contributed so much to our understanding of the universe that it's hard to sum up in just a few hundred words.
So Business Insider has pulled together its most popular, and important, articles on Hawking into this can't-miss list which covers everything from aliens and boy bands, to the biggest mystery of the universe.
On the existence of aliens
Finding aliens could be 'the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity'. Hawking was spearheading the Breakthrough Listen project to scan a million stars for signs of life; however, he warned should signs of life be found, "we should be wary of answering back."
On popular culture
Stephen Hawking gave a priceless gift to filmmakers of the Oscar-winning movie about his life. "I'll let you know what I think — good or otherwise," Hawking told Eddie Redmayne, the actor who played him in "The Theory of Everything" in 2014.
Stephen Hawking jokes about his theory of boy bands, saying in a different universe it's possible 'Zayn is still in One Direction'. "Finally, a question about something important," Hawking, who was attending an event as a hologram, joked when asked about the band.
On the future of mankind
Stephen Hawking: Humans have only about 1,000 years left. Hawking made the prediction during a 2016 speech and believed our only option was to find another planet to live on.
4 ways that Stephen Hawking thinks the world could end. Advances in science and technology mean disaster on Earth is a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand years, Hawking said.
On politics
Trump 'is a demagogue'. When asked to explain the popularity of US President Donald Trump he simply said: "I can't."
On artificial intelligence
Automation and AI is going to decimate middle class jobs. Hawking felt that AI could exacerbate issues around the loss of traditional manufacturing jobs.
Stephen Hawking: We need a 'world government' to stop the rise of dangerous artificial intelligence. But the scientist also admitted such a feat could cause tyranny.
On the universe
Escape from a black hole is possible — kind of. "If you feel you are trapped in a black hole, don't give up. There is a way out," Hawking advised.
Stephen Hawking's Cambridge PhD thesis has been published online for the first time. Last year, the University of Cambridge posted online the then-24 year old's thesis on the expanding universe. The document is complete with hand-written equations and Hawking's signature.
On the biggest mystery of all
Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physics genius, but the mystery he finds most intriguing is women. "My PA reminds me that although I have a PhD in physics, women... remain a mystery," Hawking once said in a Reddit AMA.
Receive a single WhatsApp message every morning with all our latest news. Sign up here.
See also:
- An OUTsurance founder just landed a R350 million payday – but he's not shopping for private islands just quite yet
- Woolworths confirms its beloved salami sticks were made in the Listeriosis-implicated factory
- Nescafé, Ricoffy and Frisco are at war – which means cheaper prices for instant coffee drinkers
- Black Panther just made box office history. Not bad for a movie shot in the Free State
- The Galaxy S9 versus the Galaxy S8 — it isn't worth the upgrade unless you zoom a lot
- The for-profit side of Blue Bulls rugby is sucking its amateur club dry
- Nhlanhla Nene personally stepped in to stop the ANC from debating Reserve Bank nationalisation in Parliament – to the party's considerable embarrassment
- This is what your smartphone is doing to your brain – and it isn't good
- Rolls-Royce revealed new bespoke designs for its iconic limo and convertible — and they look incredible
- Sun International fought tooth and nail to build a 'sure thing' mega-casino in Menlyn, Pretoria. Now it is losing money on the deal.
- South Africans will be able to shout at Steinhoff directors from Cape Town in April – but won’t be able to directly vote at its AGM
- Horse meat imports into SA have suddenly jumped – and we don’t know where most of it went
- Caltex will soon disappear as Sinopec comes to town
- 7 of SA's most exclusive country clubs, where membership can cost up to R1 million
- Step by step: This is how SA scientists cracked the secret 'language' of listeria
- Christo Wiese drops off Forbes rich-list amid Steinhoff scandal – after losing R50 billion of his fortuneR260 million was spent to turn Cape Town into an ancient city for BBC's most expensive TV series ever
- How to find a job on Google, now in South Africa
