17,000 responses to Hawking query

Some questions even stump Stephen Hawking.

The famed British astrophysicist and bestselling author has turned to Yahoo Answers, a new feature in which anyone can pose a question for fellow Internet users to try to answer. By Friday afternoon, nearly 17,000 Yahoo Inc. users had responded.

Hawking’s question: “In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?”

Some of the answers were short -- “get rid of nuclear weapons” -- and others vague -- “Somehow we will.” Many were doubtful: “I don’t think it is possible unless we expand into space,” one user wrote.

A number of people suggested thinking differently, ending bickering or fostering cooperation.

Officials at the University of Cambridge, where Hawking is a mathematics professor, confirmed that Hawking wrote the message but said he would have no further comment.