Name: Questioning the universe
Uploaded: 2008-04-04T01:31:00Z
Duration: 9 min 58 s
Description: In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them.

Stephen Hawking: Questioning the universe

Questioning the universe

In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them.

The universe can spontaneously create itself out of nothing, and our scientific understanding now supports this with evidence from the cosmic microwave background. Life emerged on Earth astonishingly quickly, suggesting it could arise elsewhere, yet we have found no sign of other intelligent civilizations nearby. As Earth's resources dwindle and risks multiply, expanding into space offers our best hope for long-term survival. The last hundred years have brought remarkable breakthroughs, but our future depends on reaching beyond our home planet.