Famed physicist Stephen Hawking took gravity to its ultimate limits. In doing so, he made a number of significant advancements in our understanding of black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity. Plus, his contributions to the popularization of science cement his legacy for generations to come.
Hawking began his research career in the 1960s, well before his diagnosis with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) led him to use a wheelchair and communicate through technology rather than his voice for most of his adult life. Although it's impossible to neatly summarize Hawking's 200-plus academic papers spanning more than four decades, he was deeply interested in the nature of gravity in extreme environments.
