Stephen Hawking arrived for his DISCOVER photo shoot bearing a familiar look: corduroy jacket, dark blue shirt, and a wisp of a sly smile. Even though he is mostly paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), he has no trouble making himself understood. In part he relies on an infrared switch attached to his wheelchair, which enables him to write and to talk through a voice synthesizer. But even with his restricted body motions, Hawking’s thoughts come across clearly. Every arch of his eyebrows and roll of the eyes carries as much meaning as another person’s torrent of words.
One thing Hawking cannot do is jot notes on a blackboard, which left DISCOVER’s executive editor, Corey S. Powell, scrambling to illustrate the renowned physicist’s ideas for the photographer. Fortunately Hawking has written a number of remarkably accessible popular books, including A Brief History of Time. Spend a little time in ...
