Questioning the universe | Stephen Hawking

Translator: Felix Malmenbeck Reviewer: Terrence Donnelly

There is nothing bigger or older than the universe.

'u' tIn law' Hoch tIn puS. 'u' qan law' Hoch qan puS.

vay' vIghel vIneH,

The questions I would like to talk about are:

nuqDaq 'oH mungmaj'e'?

one, where did we come from?

How did the universe come into being?

chay' chenpu' 'u'?

'u'Daq mamob'a'?

Are we alone in the universe?

latlh yuQmeyDaq yaghmey lutu'lu''a'?

Is there alien life out there?

nuq 'oH Human Segh San'e'?

What is the future of the human race?

Up until the 1920s,

qaSpa' tera' maH DIS poH 1920

choHbe' 'u'

everyone thought the universe was essentially static

and unchanging in time.

'e' luHar Hoch.

SachtaH 'u' ghIq net tu'.

Then it was discovered that the universe was expanding.

Distant galaxies were moving away from us.

cholHa'taH qIbmey Hop.

vaj 'op poH ret wa' DaqDaq Sumbej.

This meant they must have been closer together in the past.

If we extrapolate back,

mIwvam wInuDchugh, vaj ngoD wItlhoj:

we find we must have all been on top of each other

15 000 000 000 ben

about 15 billion years ago.

wa' DaqDaq Hoch qIbmey lutu'lu'.

ngugh qaS SachchoHghach'a', 'u' chenchoHghach.

This was the Big Bang, the beginning of the universe.

But was there anything before the Big Bang?

qaSpa' SachchoHghach'a', vay' tu'lu''a' ?

ngugh pagh tu'lu'chugh, 'u' chenmoH nuq?

If not, what created the universe?

qatlh 'u' chenmoH SachchoHghach'a', 'ej qatlh jaS chenbe' 'u'.

Why did the universe emerge from the Big Bang the way it did?

cha' 'ay'mey ghaj 'u' nger naQ

We used to think that the theory of the universe

could be divided into two parts.

'e' wIHarpu'.

chutmey'e' pabbogh 'u' lutu'lu'.

First, there were the laws

like Maxwell's equations and general relativity

Maxwell 'ul peQ je nger. Einstein tlham nger. latlh chutmey je.

that determined the evolution of the universe,

chutmeyvam pablu'chu'taH

given its state over all of space at one time.

choHtaHvIS 'u' Dotlh.

chutmeyvam 'oH 'u' nger naQ 'ay' wa''e'.

And second, there was no question of the initial state of the universe.

'u' Dotlh wa'DIch 'oH 'ay' cha''e'.

'ay' wa' wIyajchoHchu'lI'.

We have made good progress on the first part,

and now have the knowledge of the laws of evolution

ghu'mey le' wIyajchu'be'bogh lutu'lu'

in all but the most extreme conditions.

'ach tlhoS choHtaHghach chutmey DIyaj.

But until recently, we have had little idea

'a qen 'u' Dotlh wa'DIch wISovbe'chu'.

about the initial conditions for the universe.

pImchugh chuqmey poHmey je,

However, this division into laws of evolution and initial conditions

vaj pIm nger 'ay'mey.

depends on time and space being separate and distinct.

'a chuqmey Da poHmey.

Under extreme conditions, general relativity and quantum theory

'e' luchaw' ngermey chu' qaStaHvIS ghu'mey le'.

allow time to behave like another dimension of space.

vaj pImbe' poHmey chuqmey je.

This removes the distinction between time and space,

vaj chutmey DIyajchu'DI', 'u' Dotlh wa'DIch wISovlaH.

and means the laws of evolution can also determine the initial state.

chen'eghmoHlaH 'u'.

The universe can spontaneously create itself out of nothing.

nuq 'oHpu' 'u' Dotlh wa'DIch'e'? DuH Dotlhmey law'.

ghaytan qaSbogh DuHmey lutu'lu' 'ej ghaytanHa' qaSbogh DuHmey lutu'lu'.

Moreover, we can calculate a probability that the universe

was created in different states.

wISImlaH.

chenpu'DI' 'u' woj law' tlhuDlu'.

These predictions are in excellent agreement

with observations by the WMAP satellite of the cosmic microwave background,

'u' Qup cha'bogh mIllogh'e' luchenmoHmeH tejpu'

WMAP SIbDoH woj noch patmey lulo'ta'.

'u' Qup qechmeymaj rurqu' mIlloghvam.

which is an imprint of the very early universe.

chen'eghmoHghach Qatlh wIyajlaw'.

We think we have solved the mystery of creation.

Maybe we should patent the universe

chaq 'u' 'oghlaHghach chaw' wIDoQnIS

and charge everyone royalties for their existence.

ghIq maHvaD DIlnIS 'u' Dabbogh Hoch'e'!

I now turn to the second big question:

DaH potlh'a' cha' vIqel:

are we alone, or is there other life in the universe?

mamob'a'? pagh latlh yuQmeyDaq yaghmey lutu'lu''a'?

We believe that life arose spontaneously on the Earth,

tera'Daq chenpu' yaghmey. chenmoHta' pagh. 'e' wIHar.

so it must be possible for life to appear on other suitable planets,

vaj chaq latlh yuQmeyDaq chenpu' yaghmey.

of which there seem to be a large number in the galaxy.

'ej qIbmajDaq law'law' yuQmey'e' DablaHbogh yaghmey.

chay' chenpu' yaghmey wa'DIch? maSovbe'.

But we don't know how life first appeared.

We have two pieces of observational evidence

chenmeH yaghmey 'eb bopbogh De' law''e'

on the probability of life appearing.

lu'ang cha' Dochmey:

The first is that we have fossils of algae from 3.5 billion years ago.

wutlhDaq yagh Hegh chovnatlhmey DItu'pu'.

3 500 000 000 ben Hegh yaghmeyvam.

The Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago

4 600 000 000 ben chen tera'.

and was probably too hot for about the first half billion years.

qaStaHvIS 500 000 000 DIS, ghaytan tera' luDablaHbe' yaghmey 'Iqmo' tuj.

So life appeared on Earth

vaj DuHpu'DI' yIn,

within half a billion years of it being possible,

rInpa' 500 000 000 DIS chenpu' yaghmey.

which is short compared to the 10-billion-year lifetime

tera' taHtaHghach poH nI' law' yaghmey taHbe'taHghach poH nI' puS,

of a planet of Earth type.

vaj nom chenpu' yaghmey, DuHpu'DI'.

This suggests that the probability of life appearing is reasonably high.

vaj qubbe'law' chenmeH yaghmey 'ebmey.

qubchugh bIH, ghaytanHa' chen yaghmey

If it was very low, one would have expected it

to take most of the ten billion years available.

QuptaHvIS tera'.

'a wej nuSuchbe'law' latlh yuQmey nganpu'.

On the other hand, we don't seem to have been visited by aliens.

I am discounting the reports of UFOs.

UFOmeyqoq vIqelbe'taH.

qatlh taQwI'pu'vaD neH 'ang'egh Dujmeyvam?

Why would they appear only to cranks and weirdos?

If there is a government conspiracy to suppress the reports

novpu' Sov peghtaH'a' qum?

and keep for itself the scientific knowledge the aliens bring,

nIDtaHchugh chaH,

it seems to have been a singularly ineffective policy so far.

Qapbe'law'taH.

novpu' nejtaH SETI jInmol, 'ej vumqu'taH tejpu',

Furthermore, despite an extensive search by the SETI project,

we haven't heard any alien television quiz shows.

'a pagh nov ghe'naQmey Qoypu' chaH.

ghu'vammo' wa''e' wIloylaH:

This probably indicates that there are no alien civilizations

at our stage of development

'op vatlh loghqam juchbogh moQ qoDDaq

within a radius of a few hundred light years.

tayqeqmaj lururbogh tayqeqmey'e' lutu'lu'be'.

Issuing an insurance policy

nov quchwI'pu'mo' DuQanmeH

against abduction by aliens seems a pretty safe bet.

negh yIDIlQo'! ghaytan 'utbe'chu'.

This brings me to the last of the big questions:

DaH potlh'a' natlIS vIqel:

the future of the human race.

nuq 'oH Human Segh San'e'?

If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy,

qIbvamDaq QublaHbogh latlh yaghmey lutu'lu'be'chugh,

we should make sure we survive and continue.

mataHnISqu'!

But we are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history.

'a QobtaH ghu'maj.

tlhoy law'choHtaH roghvaHmaj 'ej tlhoy tera' jo wInatlhtaH,

Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth

are growing exponentially,

'ej chammaj 'Itlhmo' yuQmaj wISIghlaHqu'.

along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill.

wIDublaH 'ej wIQaw'laH.

But our genetic code

'a 'IwmajDaq

still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts

numutmoHbogh Duj, nuvaQmoHbogh Duj je lutu'lu'taH,

that were of survival advantage in the past.

poH nI' ret mataHmeH 'utmo' Dujvam.

qaStaHvIS vatlh DIS poH veb

It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster

in the next hundred years,

Qugh'a' wIbotlaH'a'? Qatlh.

let alone the next thousand or million.

qaStaHvIS 'uy' DIS poH veb... Qatlhqu'!

Our only chance of long-term survival

nI'taHvIS poH, mataHtaHmeH

is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth,

latlh qo'mey DIjaHnISqu'.

but to spread out into space.

reH tera'Daq maratlhlaHbe'.

potlh'a'meyvam DInuDchugh, vaj wa''e' wItlhoj:

The answers to these big questions

show that we have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years.

qaStaHvIS nungbogh vatlh DIS poH, Ser law' wIta'ta'.

'a qaStaHvIS vatlh DIS poH veb mataH wIneHchugh,

But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years,

our future is in space.

loghDaq 'oH Sanmaj'e'.

loghDaq lujaH nuvpu' vIneH

That is why I am in favor of manned --

or should I say, personned -- space flight.

ngoDvammo'.

'u' vIyaj reH 'e' vInID 'ej potlh'a'meyvam vIHaD

All of my life I have sought to understand the universe

and find answers to these questions.

qaStaHvIS yInwIj.

Do' 'e' botqu'be' ropwIj.

I have been very lucky

that my disability has not been a serious handicap.

chaq muQaH ropwIj.

Indeed, it has probably given me more time than most people

ropvammo' qaStaHvIS nI'bogh poHmey 'ej law'bogh

to pursue the quest for knowledge.

potlh'a'meyvam vIbuSlaH.

'u' nger naQ 'oH ngoQ'a''e',

The ultimate goal is a complete theory of the universe,

and we are making good progress.

'ej Ser law' wIta'lI'.

Su'Ijpu'mo' Satlho'.

Thank you for listening.

Chris Anderson: Professor, if you had to guess either way,

Chris Anderson: ghojmoHwI''a' wa' DuH DawIv net poQchugh,

do you now believe that it is more likely than not

ghaytan qIbmajDaq mamob'a'?

that we are alone in the Milky Way,

tayqeqmaj 'Itlh law' Hoch 'Itlh puS. DuH'a'?

chay' bIHar?

as a civilization of our level of intelligence or higher?

This answer took seven minutes, and really gave me an insight

jangmeH vumta' ghaH qaStaHvIS Soch tupmey.

into the incredible act of generosity this whole talk was for TED.

quvba' ghojmoHwI''a', TEDvaD SoQvam nI' ghItlhta'mo'.

Stephen Hawking: I think it quite likely that we are the only civilization

Stephen Hawking: ghaytan 'op vatlh loghqam juchbogh moQ qoDDaq

within several hundred light years;

tayqeqmaj lururbogh tayqeqmey'e' lutu'lu'be'

otherwise we would have heard radio waves.

nov jabbI'IDmey DItu'be'pu'mo'.

pagh chaq ngaj tayqeq yInmey

The alternative is that civilizations don't last very long,

but destroy themselves.

Qaw''eghmo'.

CA: Hawking ghojmoHwI''a', bIjangta'mo' qatlho'.

CA: Professor Hawking, thank you for that answer.

We will take it as a salutary warning, I think,

ghuHvammo'

qaStaHvIS qepmaj mayep.

for the rest of our conference this week.

Professor, we really thank you for the extraordinary effort you made

ghojmoHwI''a', SoQvam DaghermeH bIvumqu'ta'mo'

to share your questions with us today.

SoHvaD pItlho'.

Thank you very much indeed.

pItlho'qu'bej.

(quvmoHmeH wabmey)

(Applause)