Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies, Had Warned Mankind About Alien Life in Our Universe

Beloved physicist Stephen Hawking passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 76 at his home in England. Hawking was famously wheelchair-bound, and had been suffering from a rare form of ALS for decades. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch recently portrayed Hawking in a well-rated autobiographical film "The Theory of Everything."

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The author of the best-selling cosmology book "A Brief History of Time" shared many wise words over the years, some written down, and others spoken through his speech device.

But perhaps Stephen Hawking's most amazing quotes have to do with UFOs and aliens. In particular, the scientist was cautious about communicating with extraterrestrial life, warning humanity of the potentially deadly consequences. According to Space.com, Hawking once said "We might receive a signal from a planet like this. But we should be wary of answering back. Meeting an advanced civilization could be like Native Americans encountering Columbus. That didn't turn out so well."

He was also sure that natural disaster could eventually drive humans off planet, saying "We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period."

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But the serious scientist had a sense of humor, too.

He once joked in an interview that while he believed alien life to be common in the universe, he didn't believe that to be true for intelligent life, and in fact it was debatable if Earth had any intelligent life at  all.

What do you think of the late professor's ideas on alien life in our universe? Do you share the same beliefs? Post your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.