Stephen Hawking is so famous, you'd recognize
his voice anywhere.
But he also famously has ALS, which normally
gives patients a very short time to live.
So who is Stephen Hawking, and how is it that
he has lived so long with this disorder?
Hello world, Trace with a non-synthesized
voice here for DNews.
Stephen Hawking is 74.
You know him.
He's published over 200 papers and books.
IMDb has him appearing in 65 tv shows and
movies as himself.
Hawking is an intelligent and popular mind
in science and pop culture, in part because
of his outrageous and cerebral theories on
how the universe works, and also that he does
it all from a wheelchair, with a computer
synthesizer for his voice.
But that's not really why he became such a
big deal in science.
In 1970, Hawking and his colleague Roger Penrose
published a paper in the Proceedings of the
Royal Society A proposing a new theorem for
describing the Big Bang and how the universe
began as a singularity… and will likely
end as one.
See, in 1970, The Big Bang theory was still
debated, but because of this paper (and others)
it gained more credence!
After that, through conversations with other
physicists about black holes, Hawking came
up with a way to stitch together two branches
of modern physics -- General Relativity and
Quantum Theory -- basically, how the universe
works on a macro level and a WAY smaller than
micro level.
Another paper in Nature in 1974 proposes the
idea that black holes (governed by general
relativity) can emit radiation and explode;
and a few years later in 1980 he works to
unify general relativity and the beginning
of the universe by describing the moments
after the Big Bang using quantum theory.
These suggestions were also, and kind of obviously,
super controversial.
Though today, physicists generally think Hawking
Radiation does help black holes evaporate.
He's gone on to continue proposing these cockamamie
ideas, all while his ALS makes him less and
less physically abled.
At age 21 he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis or ALS; also known as Lou
Gehrig's Disease; though you're likely familiar
with it thanks to the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge.
ALS is a "progressive neurodegenerative disease
that affects nerve cells in the brain and
the spinal cord".
The word amyotrophic literally means no muscle
nourishment.
But the muscles aren't what's directly affected
by ALS.
Instead, nerve cells (called motor neurons)
in the brain and spinal cord degenerate.
These motor neurons tell the body's muscles
to flex, so gradually, the brain loses control
of its ability to command muscles.
ALS affects everyone differently.
For example, there are two neuronal groups:
the upper and lower motor neurons.
If ALS degrades the upper motor neurons located
in the brain: muscles will tighten and resist
movement.
If it hits the lower motor neurons in the
spinal cord: the person will feel weak, get
twitches, and their muscles will waste away.
As ALS progresses, it will start somewhere
and then spread to surrounding motor neurons,
affecting muscles all over the body.
This can take away the ability to walk, write,
speak, swallow, and breathe.
Once the muscles don't get commands, they
begin to atrophy -- or shrink.
There's no cure, yet.
And the ALS Association says half of people
diagnosed live three or more years, but only
ten percent will live more than 10 years.
Though, Hawking is still kicking it, figuratively
speaking!
For some reason, Hawking's ALS didn't affect
his ability to breathe (which would deprive
him of oxygen) or swallow (which could cause
dehydration or malnourishment) -- and left
his face under his control.
We know he can move his face, because that's
how he controls his computer voice!
A set of letters, scrolls in front of him,
and a twitch from the cheek (detected by the
arm on his glasses), selects a letter, then
another, then words begin to appear as well.
Though, there's no guarantee this will work
forever.
In the 1990s, he still had the use of his
finger, but no longer.
He lost the ability to speak, not because
of ALS, by the way, but because of a terrible
case of pneumonia he acquired in 1985 while
visiting CERN in Geneva.
Doctors in the UK gave him a tracheotomy to
keep him breathing and he lost his ability
to speak as a result.
If you're thinking (like I was) holy crap,
this guy has had a lot of stuff happen to
him.
Just remember, this doesn't keep Hawking down.
He's travelled the world, and experienced
zero gravity, (he, in his computer-voice,
told reporters after, "space, here I come.")
and he told the New York Times in 2011, “I
am lucky to be working in theoretical physics,
one of the few areas in which disability is
not a serious handicap.”
And he's kept his sense of humor, appearing
on the Simpsons, Last Week Tonight, and more.
In 2002, a neurologist told the British Medical
Journal, "I am not aware of anyone else who
has survived with [ALS] as long.
…the disease seems to have almost burnt
out.
... This kind of stabilisation is extremely
rare."
No one knows exactly why Hawking has lived
so long with ALS, but it's pretty clear that
he is a unique mind and man.
When asked by the New York Times to give advice
to others who may suffer from a disability,
Stephen Hawking said, "Concentrate on things
your disability doesn’t prevent you doing
well, and don’t regret the things it interferes
with.
Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as
physically."
Hawking has predicted many things in his lifetime,
and he also thinks that for humanity to survive,
we’re going to have to leave Earth.
We have video about why he thinks that, here.
What’s your favorite thing about Stephen
Hawking?
Why do you think he’s cool?
