Stephen Hawking goes all Gerard O'Neill-y as he realizes: ""It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species. Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of." (Don't forget asteroids, solar singularity, and the creeping arthritis of PC social restrictions too, bud.)
