The new film The Theory of Everything is an engrossing and incredibly well-acted movie about the early life of legendary physicist Stephan Hawking. While it does a great job exploring the personal relationships and the physics obstacles of the scientist, it doesn’t go into very much depth on why he is so famous. Luckily, another science icon is here to help.

Below, listen as astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson explains just what Hawking has contributed to our understanding of the universe. More specifically, he outlines how Hawking discovered that black holes eventually die:

Thanks Neil! Oh, and go see The Theory of Everything. It’s really good.

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