inside a black hole? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? Is time travel possible? How will we survive on earth? Should we colonise space? Will we ever be able to go beyond the Solar System? For both the scientific and the intellectually curious, this book celebrates the mind, humour and achievements of one of the most inspiring figures in recent history. Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. But even as his theoretical work on black holes, imaginary time and multiple histories took his mind to the furthest reaches of space, Hawking always believed that science could also be used to fix the problems on our planet. Wide-ranging, intellectually stimulating, passionately argued, and infused with his characteristic humour, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, the final book from one of the greatest minds in history, is a personal view on the challenges we face as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next.