The Associated Press is reporting that famed British mathematician and physicist, Stephen Hawking, was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge late Monday. Hawking has been ill for several weeks and is currently undergoing tests.
A spokesperson for Cambridge University reported that Hawking is comfortable and will be kept in the hospital overnight for observation.
Professor Hawking is most renowned for his work on black holes and his involvement in the search for a "unifying theory" of physics that would resolve the contradictions between Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics which he discusses in A Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell.
Hawking suffers from ALS (ameyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) which has left him paralyzed in a wheelchair, using an electronic voice synthesizer to communicate. Very few of those who suffer from ALS survive ten years past their diagnosis.
Hawking announced in 2008 that he would step down from his faculty position at Cambridge University in 2008, but he continues as an Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The professor has become well known in popular culture, having appeared as a reference multiple times on The Simpsons and in other areas of modern culture. Hawking has also published two children's books via Random House Publishing.
Professor Hawking is 67-years-old.
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