Hawking receives scientific award

Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has received an award from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, recognising scientific achievement and contributions to the advancement of knowledge.

Hawking, who delivered a lecture before receiving the Michelson-Morley Award, is best known for “Hawking’s radiation” – the theory that black holes emit radiation.

The 61-year-old author of A Brief History of Time was diagnosed at 22 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Despite his illness, he travels the world, communicating with a hand-held device to select words on his wheelchair’s computer screen, then sending them to a speech synthesiser.