Destruction of Earth is inevitable in near future: Stephen Hawking

Melbourne: Humanity is at risk due to the scientific progress, says top cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking.

The 74-year-old theoretical physicist predicts that with the development of new technologies, the number of threats to the humankind will increase until some kind of global cataclysm is virtually inevitable within the next few thousand years, reports News.com.au.

Nuclear war, global warming and genetically-engineered viruses are among the scenarios he singles out.

During a question-and-answer session at the BBC Reith Lectures, he warned that in the time period before humans manage to escape to the stars, they will have to be “very careful.”

Previously Prof Hawking had spoken of the dangers of the rise of artificial intelligence and has called for global agreements to prevent robots becoming uncontrollable. (ANI)