Posing Open Question on the Net

In 2006, Stephen Hawking posed an open question on the Internet: 'In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?' He later clarified that he did not know the answer and asked the question to get people to think about it and be aware of the dangers humanity faces. Hawking expressed concern that life on Earth is at risk from sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, global warming, an asteroid collision, or other dangers humans have not yet thought of. He stated that he regarded it as almost inevitable that either a nuclear confrontation or environmental catastrophe would cripple the Earth at some point in the next 1,000 years. However, he believed that such a planet-wide disaster need not result in human extinction if the human race were to colonize additional planets before the disaster. Hawking viewed spaceflight and the colonization of space as necessary for the future of humanity.