[In the Universe it may be that] Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet to occur on Earth.

doi:10. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. With time he began to show considerable aptitude for scientific subjects and inspired by Tahta decided to study mathematics at university.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a condition that has progressed over the years. Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his A Brief History of Time stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.