Stephen Hawking urges our population to begin spreading out into space and establishing colonies on other planets.  A nuclear disaster or asteroid hitting the Earth could wipe out our population completely.

Our search would have to be found on another star because there is no other planet in our solar system quite like ours.

How do we get there?  Hawking says by "matter/anti-matter annihilation."

He explained: "When matter and anti-matter meet up they disappear in a burst of radiation. If this was beamed out of the back of a spaceship it could drive it forward."

Travelling at just below the speed of light, it would mean a journey of about six years to reach a new star.

Maybe Sir Richard Branson can get us there.

Update:  Sir Richard Branson wants to send Stephen Hawking into space.