Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe

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Professor Stephen Hawking takes on the big questions about the universe.

How did the universe begin? How did life begin? And are we alone? The world-renown theoretical physicist and cosmologist asks some of the most perplexing questions in science in this TED Talk from 2008.

For the duration of his career, Hawking has sought to uncover the origins of the universe and the reason for its existence. Here, he ponders what the future holds for the human race and questions whether the strength of our genetic make-up will ultimately determine our long-term survival in the universe.

Hawking also features in this video from Time answering yet more questions and he was the subject of a unique Symposium at Cambridge University titled 'The State of the Universe' to mark his 70^th birthday in January 2012.