Stephen Hawking: We Must Go “To Infinity and Beyond”
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Quentin Blake Exclusive cartoon and interview Page 19 Issue No 676 Friday April 25 2008 varsity.co.uk The Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 Stephen Hawking: we must go “to infinity and beyond” wiped out most of the indigenous berg. “Robotic missions are much Joe Gosden population, Hawking advocated cheaper and may provide more Associate Editor the of placing colonies on both scientific information, but they the Moon and Mars as a prelude don’t catch the public imagina- On the basis that, had we not to colonising the planets around tion, and they don’t spread the discovered the New World in other stars. Calling for a massive human race into space, which I’m 1492, we might not “have a Big investment in funds to make such arguing should be our long-term Mac or KFC”, Stephen Hawking advances possible, Hawking ar- strategy,” Hawking said, adding has advocated a programme of gued that the world could quite that scientists must devise a new expansion in space exploration easily afford to devote 0.25 per propulsion system to take on a that should aim for “a base on the cent of global GDP to space ex- planetary hunt outside our Solar Moon by 2020 and a manned land- ploration, asking “isn’t our future System in 200 to 500 years. ing on Mars by 2030”. worth a quarter of a percent?” The Gonville and Caius College The speech, made to mark the The renowned scientist has pre- genius also gave three possible 50th anniversary of the founda- viously argued at length that, by reasons for why alien life has not tion of NASA, saw Hawkins liken establishing bases on planets oth- yet been found in the universe. our current understanding of the er than earth, mankind can insure Firstly, he suggested that any world in which we live to “Europe itself against the potentially cata- kind of life is very rare in space, before 1492”. Choosing to ignore strophic implications of either cli- secondly, that intelligent life is the minor detail that the Vikings mate change or nuclear war. even rarer, and thirdly, that in- actually beat Columbus to Amer- Hawking told the audience as- telligent life, where it does exist, ica by some 500 years, Hawking sembled at George Washington often destroys itself very quickly. went on to explain “people might University, Washington DC, that “Personally, I favour the second well have argued it was a waste the Moon would be an excellent possibility, that primitive life is of money to send Columbus on a place to start because it is “close relatively common, but that intel- wild goose chase, yet the discov- by and relatively easy to reach.” ligent life is very rare,” he said. He added, “the Moon could be a “Some would say it has yet to oc- base for travel to the rest of the cur on earth.” solar system.” The fifth planet Hawking was born on January » in the solar system, Mars, would 8, 1942 to Frank Hawking, a re- be “the next obvious target” for search biologist. Always interest- 2020 colonisation because of the co- ed in science, he enrolled at Uni- Year hawking sets for pious presence of frozen water versity College, Oxford with the colonisation of moon and the possibility that life may intent of studying mathematics, have existed on the planet at but soon switched to Physics. Af- some point in the past. Arguing ter receiving his BA degree at Ox- that “if the human race is to con- ford University in 1962, he stayed tinue for another million years, to study astronomy before leav- we will have to boldly go where ing for Trinity Hall, Cambridge. no one has gone before”, Hawk- Almost as soon as he arrived at » ing criticised the slow progress Cambridge, he started developing 0.25 of NASA’s plans for human land- symptoms of amyotrophic lateral Percentage of global GDP ings on Mars, which will only be sclerosis which would cost him which Hawkings says should be implemented in the early 2030s. the loss of almost all neuromus- devoted to space exploration He explained that modern space cular control. At the celebration explanation needed goals to give of his 65th birthday on January it the sense of purpose that Presi- 8, 2007, Hawking announced his ON TAYLOR S ery of the new world made a pro- dent Kennedy’s Moon target did plans for a zero-gravity flight in JA found difference to the old”. in the 1960s. 2007 to prepare for a sub-orbital Choosing to ignore the other, Hawkins also said it was im- spaceflight in 2009 on Virgin Ga- somewhat inconvenient histori- portant that humans took part lactic’s space service. Billionaire John’s Punt Society publishes cal truth that, when the Spanish in space exploration, rather than Richard Branson pledged to pay landed in the Americas, the dis- relying on robots, a view shared all expenses for the flight, which guide to punting eases that they bought with them by Nobel laureate Steven Wein- cost him an estimated £100,000. » Page 6 Debate Restaurant Interview Should the world step in to James Quaife’s final review - Britain’s first female porn director explains save Zimbabwe? traditional eatery DragonDragon why feminists should embrace the adult industry » Page 10 » Page 18 » Page 21 News Editors: Clementine Dowley, Richard Power Sayeed, and Isabel Shapiro Friday April 25 2008 2 NEWS [email protected] varsity.co.uk/news In Brief Prince donates £8m to Testosterone traders Cambridge scientists have shown that city traders with higher tes- tosterone levels can expect to open new Islamic Centre earn more. Dr John Coates and Professor Joe Herbert measured annual instalments, would form a Craig Hogg testosterone levels in traders at Fund whose income would enable a City of London bank and found a range of developments in the that those traders with higher A Saudi Arabian Prince is to do- new Centre. testosterone levels in the morning nate £8 million for a new Islamic There will be a particular focus were most likely to make money on centre at the University. on the role of Islam in the United the day’s trading. One trader hit a Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, who Kingdom and on media perception six-day “winning streak” and made has an estimated £15 billion for- of the faith. It will also augment more than double his daily profit, tune, plans to make the donation Cambridge’s existing strength in during which time his testosterone to fund a centre in his name for the field by attracting leading Is- levels went up by 74%. But Coates the study of the role of Islam in lamic academics to the city, pro- suggested that there comes a point the Middle East and globally. moting the subject through semi- when traders have too much testo- If the University’s plans are nars and publications. sterone and start to take irrational approved, the cash will be used In recent years the Prince, risks. This is when the bubble to establish the HRH Prince Al- known for his wide range of phil- bursts and the market crashes. “I waleed Bin Talal Centre of Islam- anthropic activities worldwide, think this molecule is partly re- ic Studies. It would replace the has made a number of donations sponsible for financial instability”, University’s existing Centre of to academic institutions. He in- he said. Coates also suggested that Middle Eastern and Islamic Stud- vested £10 million to establish firms should employ more women centres at Harvard University in and older men to reduce the influ- Cambridge, Massachusetts, and ence of hormonally charged young Georgetown in Washington. He males. “Last year, he also agreed to finance the con- struction of a new Islamic wing sectors, including banking, the in his desire to spread knowl- From Russia with love became the first at the Louvre Museum in Paris. media and leisure industries”. He edge about Islam, Professor van person to buy an Closer to home, the Institute of bought the Savoy Hotel in Lon- de Ven said, “I do believe that A Cambridge professor has been Arab and Islamic Studies at the don for an estimated £200 mil- Prince Alwaleed is genuine in his awarded a Grand Gold Medal by Airbus A380 Super- University of Exeter received a lion in 2005. Last year, he became commitment about promoting a the Russian Academy of Science. £1 million endowment from the the first person to buy an Airbus better understanding of Islam in Professor Simon Franklin, Head of jumbo for use as a Prince. A380 Superjumbo for use as a pri- the West and, importantly, vice the Department of Slavonic Stud- private jet” Talal, nephew of King Abdullah vate jet. versa. He has [already] estab- ies, won the Lomonosov Medal of Saudi Arabia, learnt the basics Professor Hans van de Ven, lished American Studies Centres for “outstanding work on the of commerce at Menlo College, in Chairman of the Faculty of Asian at the American University of ethno-political and cultural his- San Francisco, in the seventies. and Middle Eastern Studies, said, Beirut and the American Univer- tory of Russia and the significant ies, and be sited at the Sidgwick He made his fortunes after in- “Islamic Studies at Cambridge sity of Cairo.” contribution to the study of early Avenue campus. vesting millions of dollars in the badly needs this boost of fund- The donation has been met with Russian written culture and early The new program will build on then struggling Citibank.