Now who are the wingnuts??!! We are being told that we have 1000 years to get off this planet and go, ah, where??

LOS ANGELES -- Stephen Hawking, who spent his career decoding the universe and even experienced weightlessness, is urging the continuation of space exploration – for humanity's sake.

The 71-year-old Hawking said he did not think humans would survive another 1,000 years "without escaping beyond our fragile planet."

The British cosmologist made the remarks Tuesday before an audience of doctors, nurses and employees at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he toured a stem cell laboratory that's focused on trying to slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease.

Hawking was diagnosed with the neurological disorder 50 years ago while a student at Cambridge University. He recalled how he became depressed and initially didn't see a point in finishing his doctorate. But he continued to delve into his studies.

"If you understand how the universe operates, you control it in a way," he said.

Renowned for his work on black holes and the origins of the cosmos, Hawking is famous for bringing esoteric physics concepts to the masses through his best-selling books, including "A Brief History of Time," which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Hawking titled his hour long lecture to Cedars-Sinai employees "A Brief History of Mine."

Editor’s notes:  did Hawking say, “If you understand how the universe operates, you control it in a way,"   Does anyone else find this statement as idiotic as it sounds?  

I understood my ex-wife,  but “control?”  Nonsense.  

And to think that Hawkings and others “understand” the cosmos is ridiculous, in and of itself.

More than this,  to think that this same degree  of understanding would allow them to transport humanity as we know it hundreds of millions of light years away,  is stupidly naïve,  no disrespect intended to the not-so [mentally]  handicapped genius atheist.   

Heck,  these geniuses can't come up with the unifying "theory of everything."  So,  how is it that they understand the universe?