霍金: 不逃離地球 人類難以再活1000年

Stephen Hawking, who spent his career decoding the universe and even experienced weightlessness, is urging the continuation of space exploration — for humanity’s sake.
The 71-year-old Hawking said he did not think humans would survive another 1,000 years “without escaping beyond our fragile planet.”
The British cosmologist made the remarks Tuesday before an audience of doctors, nurses and employees at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he toured a stem cell laboratory that’s focused on trying to slow the progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Hawking was diagnosed with the neurological disorder 50 years ago while a student at Cambridge University. He recalled how he became depressed and initially didn’t see a point in finishing his doctorate. But he continued to delve into his studies.
“If you understand how the universe operates, you control it in a way,” he said.
Renowned for his work on black holes and the origins of the cosmos, Hawking is famous for bringing esoteric physics concepts to the masses through his best-selling books, including “A Brief History of Time,” which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Hawking titled his hourlong lecture to Cedars-Sinai employees “A Brief History of Mine.”
Hawking has survived longer than most people with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control the muscles. People gradually have more and more trouble breathing and moving as muscles weaken and waste away. There’s no cure and no way to reverse the disease’s progression. Few people with ALS live longer than a decade.
Hawking receives around-the-clock care, can only communicate by twitching his cheek, and relies on a computer mounted to his wheelchair to convey his thoughts in a distinctive robotic monotone.
Despite his diagnosis, Hawking has remained active. In 2007, he floated like an astronaut on an aircraft that creates weightlessness by making parabolic dives.
Hawking rattled off nuggets of advice: Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious.“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at,” he said.
Dr. Robert Baloh, director of Cedars-Sinai’s ALS program who invited Hawking, said he had no explanation for the physicist’s longevity.
Baloh said he has treated patients who lived for 10 years or more.“But 50 years is unusual, to say the least,” he said.
In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Hawking the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work.

史蒂芬·霍金這位究其一生破譯宇宙奧祕、甚至體驗過失重狀態的英國科學家，正敦促人類爲了自身利益繼續進行太空探索。
今年71歲的霍金4月9日表示，人類若“不逃離我們脆弱的星球”將難以再活1000年。
霍金本週二在西達斯西奈醫學中心作出上述表示，在場的有醫護人員和其他職員。他參觀了這家醫療中心一個專門致力於延緩“漸凍人”病的幹細胞實驗室。
50年前，霍金還在劍橋大學讀書時被診斷出患上“漸凍人”病。他回憶起自己變得抑鬱的過程，最初甚至想放棄博士學位，但他最終繼續投身研究。
“如果你明白了宇宙的運轉方式，在某種程度上你就能控制它。”他說。
黑洞及宇宙起源理論讓霍金享譽全球，他更以能將晦澀難懂的物理概念寫成大衆暢銷書而聞名，其中《時間簡史》的全球發行量達到了1000萬冊。在這家醫療中心，霍金當衆發表了長達一小時的演講，名爲《我的簡史》。
霍金比其他同病患者活得更長，“漸動人”疾病也稱爲肌萎縮側索硬化症，這種疾病會攻擊人體中控制肌肉運動的大腦和脊髓的神經細胞。患者將因肌肉逐漸鬆弛衰弱變得呼吸困難，行動緩慢。目前尚無治癒良方。很少有人患病後能活過十年。
霍金需要日夜照看，只能通過抽動臉頰來進行交流，依靠裝在輪椅上的電腦發出特別的機器人聲表達思想。
雖然身患重病，但霍金依舊活躍。2007年，他乘坐飛機在空中像宇航員一樣體驗了失重之感。
霍金說出金玉良言：仰望星空，保持好奇心。“不管生活看起來多麼困難，總有可做並且成功之事。”
該中心“漸凍人”疾病項目主管羅伯特-巴隆醫生稱其長壽無法解釋。也正是巴隆醫生邀請霍金前來。
巴隆表示他的患者中曾有活過10年或10年以上的。“但至少可以說，活過50年的患者非常少見。”
2009年，奧巴馬總統授予霍金總統自由勳章以表彰其工作。