Professor Stephen Hawking claims black holes could power human civilisation - or destroy it forever

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British physicist says our species could hijack the power of terrifying 'dark stars', although we might not survive long enough to enjoy the benefits.

 

 

Humans could harness the massive power of a mini-black hole and use it to fuel the world's electricity supply, Professor Stephen Hawking has claimed.

 

The British physicist said a mountain-sized black hole would give off enough radiation to power the whole of human society.

 

However, with great power comes great risk, the Professor added.

 

If we failed to control the black hole's dreadful power, it could sink into the middle of the Earth and begin feasting on human beings, our home planet and eventually the entire solar system.

 

Is this our fate? An artist's impression of a black hole consuming a star

 

“A mountain-sized black hole would give off X-rays and gamma rays, at a rate of about 10 million megawatts, enough to power the world's electricity supply," he said during the BBC's Reith Lecture.

 

“It wouldn't be easy however, to harness a mini black hole. You couldn't keep it in a power station, because it would drop through the floor and end up at the centre of the Earth.

 

“If we had such a black hole, about the only way to keep hold of it would be to have it in orbit around the Earth.”

 

An artist's impression of two black holes heading towards a collision

 

Black holes are thought to emit "Hawking radiation", a phenomenon first suggested by the eminent Brit scientist.

 

Small black holes emit more radiation than larger ones, which could mean they actually end up wasting away - and at a faster rate than their larger counterparts.

 

Although the professor was optimistic about the benefits of black holes, he has a reputation as a bit of doom-monger.

 

He recently claimed the human species could be wiped out within 100 years due to a number of doomsday scenarios created by scientific and technological progress.

 

Death from above: Professor Hawking previously claimed that advanced aliens could 'conquer and colonise' our planet

 

The 74-year-old physicist said nuclear weapons and artificially-created viruses posed a particular threat, according to The Guardian.

 

“We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognise the dangers and control them,” he said in an interview with the Radio Times.

 

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