In the black (hole): Stephen Hawking wins £1.8m physics prize
His mind has grappled with space and time, and explored the strange beauty of black holes aglow, but in recent days a more earthly problem has occupied the world's most famous scientist.
Stephen Hawking, the former Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, must ponder how to spend $3m (£1.8m) that has landed in his bank account after winning the most lucrative science prize ever established.
The renowned physicist who missed his 70th birthday celebrations through illness in January, has won the Special Fundamental Physics Prize for a lifetime of achievements, including the discovery that black holes emit radiation, and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and aspects of the early universe.
The award is one of several set up in July by Yuri Milner, a Russian internet mogul, who quit his PhD in physics and made a billion dollars from investments in social media and other companies, such as Twitter, Facebook and Groupon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/dec/10/stephen-hawking-physics-prize
