LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Distinguished scientist Stephen Hawking was said to be in a `` comfortable '' condition Tuesday after spending the night in hospital , Cambridge University said in a statement . Stephen Hawking in Pasadena , California , in March . The 67-year-old , who suffers from a degenerative condition , was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge by ambulance in a `` very ill '' condition on Monday . `` He is comfortable and his family is looking forward to him making a full recovery , '' the university , where Hawking is a professor of mathematics , said in a short statement . Hawking -- a physicist , cosmologist , astronomer and mathematician -- is considered by many to be the greatest scientist of recent years . His numerous books include `` A Brief History of Time , '' a global bestseller exploring the origins of the universe which also made him one of the world 's best known scientists . Hawking suffers from ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) , commonly known as Lou Gehrig 's Disease . ALS is usually fatal within a few years , but Hawking has lived with the disease since he was diagnosed in 1963 . ALS is `` a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord , '' according to the ALS Association . `` Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord ... to the muscles throughout the body . '' So when motor neurons die , the brain can no longer control muscle movement . The disease has left him wheelchair-bound and paralyzed -- he is able to move only a few fingers on one hand . He is completely dependent on others or technology for virtually everything , communicating through a speech synthesizer . On his Web site , Hawking has written about living with ALS . `` I try to lead as normal a life as possible , and not think about my condition , or regret the things it prevents me from doing , which are not that many , '' he wrote . He added , `` I have been lucky , that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case . But it shows that one need not lose hope . '' Watch Larry King 's interview with Hawking in 1999 » . Sharon Matland , vice president of patient services for the ALS Association , told CNN Monday , `` He is living an amazing life . '' She said about 350,000 people worldwide have the disease . Hawking has been married and divorced twice . In 2004 , police completed an investigation into accusations by Hawking 's daughter that his second wife was abusing him . Authorities said they found no proof . He has three children and one grandchild , according to his Web site . Hawking was born in Oxford , England , on a date auspicious for his future career : January 8 , 1942 -- the 300th anniversary of the death of astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei . Professor Peter Haynes , head of the university 's department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics , said : `` Professor Hawking is a remarkable colleague , we all hope he will be amongst us again soon . '' At Cambridge , he holds the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics -- one of the world 's most prestigious academic posts which was held from 1669 to 1702 by Isaac Newton , who laid the foundations of modern physics by discovering the universal law of gravity . Hawking has guest-starred , as himself , on `` Star Trek : The Next Generation '' and `` The Simpsons . '' He also said if he had the choice of meeting Newton or Marilyn Monroe , his choice would be Marilyn . In October , CNN 's Becky Anderson interviewed Hawking . `` Over the last twenty years , observations have to a large extent confirmed the picture I painted in ' A Brief History of Time . ' '' he said then . `` The one major development that was not anticipated was the discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating now , rather than slowing down ... We live in the most probable of all possible worlds . Watch the CNN interview » . Hawking also predicted `` great dangers '' for the human race and said the species would have to look beyond the earth for its long-term survival . `` I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space . It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years , let alone next thousand , or million , '' he said . `` I see great dangers for the human race ... but I 'm an optimist . If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries , our species should be safe as we spread into space . '' CNN 's Jennifer Pifer contributed to this report .
" Stephen Hawking ` ` comfortable '' in Cambridge , Cambridge University says . He was hospitalized Monday in ` ` very ill '' condition . 67-year - old suffers from degenerative condition known as Lou ##don 's Disease . He is considered by many to be world 's greatest computer scientist .