Mathematician Hawking hospitalized, reported very ill

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Mathematician Hawking hospitalized, reported very ill

2 hours, 12 minutes ago

By Barr, The Associated Press

LONDON - Famed mathematician Hawking was rushed to a hospital Monday and

was seriously ill, Cambridge University said.

The university said Hawking has been fighting a chest infection for several

weeks, and was being treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, the

university city northeast of London.

" Professor Hawking is very ill, " said Hayman, the university's head of

communications. " He is undergoing tests. He has been unwell for a couple of

weeks. "

Later in the afternoon, Hayman said Hawking was " now comfortable but will be

kept in hospital overnight. "

Hawking, 67, gained renown for his work on black holes, and has remained active

despite being diagnosed at 21 with ALS, (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), an

incurable degenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Dickie, director of research at the Motor Neurone Disease Association,

said only five per cent of people diagnosed with ALS survive for 10 years or

longer.

Hawking " really is at the extreme end of the scale when it comes to survival, "

Dickie said.

For some years, Hawking has been almost entirely paralyzed, and he communicates

through an electronic voice synthesizer activated by his fingers.

Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics - a " unified

theory " - which would resolve contradictions between Albert Einstein's General

Theory of Relativity, which describes the laws of gravity that govern the motion

of large objects like planets, and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, which deals

with the world of subatomic particles.

" A complete, consistent unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a

complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence, " he

wrote in his bestselling book, " A Brief History of Time, " published in 1988.

In a more accessible sequel " The Universe in a Nutshell, " published in 2001,

Hawking ventured into concepts like supergravity, naked singularities and the

possibility of a universe with 11 dimensions.

He announced last year that he would step down from his post as Lucasian

Professor of Mathematics, a title once held by the great 18th-century physicist

Isaac Newton. However, the university said Hawking intended to continue working

as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

Hawking had cancelled an appearance at Arizona State University on April 6

because of his illness.

" Professor Hawking is a remarkable colleague. We all hope he will be amongst us

again soon, " said Prof. Haynes, head of the university's Department of

Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Last November, Hawking accepted a research post with the Perimeter Institute for

Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont.

Under his role as Distinguished Research Chair, Hawking was expected to make

regular visits to the city beginning this summer.

The Perimeter Institute is a research centre devoted to theoretical physics that

was founded in 1999 by Research In Motion co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.

-With files from The Canadian Press.