Stephen Hawking was always good at hypothesising how the world will end.

Last year the eminent professor came up with five new theories about how and when we will catch the starlight express to that big chair in the sky.

Stephen Hawking at the Cambridge Union
Stephen Hawking at the Cambridge Union

Stephen Hawking's five doomsday prophecies

1. Death by fireball

We're all going to die in less than 600 years when the Earth is so overpopulated our energy consumption will make the planet burn red.

Prof Hawking was speaking at a Tencent WE Summit Beijing in November, where scientists meet from all over the world to share ideas.

The Earth will glow hot and red

He was reported as saying "By the year 2600, the world’s population would be standing shoulder to shoulder, and the electricity consumption would make the Earth glow red-hot.”

To save itself, mankind must take a cue from American TV series Star Trek and “boldly go where no one has gone before,” he said in the appearance, and develop the technology to travel at the speed of light.

2. Robots will take over the world

This year Professor Hawking expressed his fear that artificial intelligence will replace humans.

Speaking in an interview to he said: "We need to move forward on artificial intelligence development but we also need to be mindful of its very real dangers.

Could our days on planet Earth be numbered?


"This will be a new form of life that will outperform humans."


Speaking to the BBC as part of his 75th birthday celebrations he said: "I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome.

Stephen Hawking arrives on stage for his 75th birthday symposium
Stephen Hawking arrives on stage for his 75th birthday symposium



4. We need to find another planet to live on within 100 years

Professor Hawking said we need to explore our technological capabilities to the fullest in order to avoid extinction.

If we do not find another planet to live on climate change, over population, pandemics and our warring ways will get us in the end.

Doomsday scenario by Aleksey Odintsov
Doomsday scenario by Aleksey Odintsov

This was explored in this year's BBC Two documentary 'Expedition New Earth', in which the professor enlisted engineering expert Christophe Galfard to explore the feasibility to interplanetary travel.

In his interview with Wired he also said he believed the planet had "reached the point of no return".

5. Donald Trump

The professor did not shy away from criticising US president Donald Trump.

When the president announced in May he would not be signing the Paris climate change agreement, which aims to tackle the threat of global warming Hawking was among his most vocal opponents.

Speaking to the BBC during his birthday celebrations in July Hawking warned Trump’s decision to withdraw would “push the Earth over the brink”.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump



