He is better known for wrestling with the mysterious forces that shape our universe and the existential threat posed by technology.

But physicist Stephen Hawking now fears greed could be the undoing of the human race.

The University of Cambridge professor has warned that the unequal divide of wealth between individuals and countries is one of the most divisive issues of our time.

He claims envy and isolationism is being bred by the way money is currently shared and this may have contributed to the result of the European Union Brexit referendum result in Britain.

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Professor Stephen Hawking (pictured) has warned the sense of inequality that drove the Brexit vote was driven by the way wealth is viewed and shared in many parts of the world. He said that unless this was addressed, it could have dire consequences for our species in the long-term

Prior to the vote, Professor Hawking had campaigned against leaving the EU due to the impact he believes it will have on access to funding for British scientists.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST THREATS Physicist Stephen Hawking has previously warned that greed is one of the greatest threats to the Earth. In an interview with Larry King Now at the end of June, he said pollution, greed, stupidity and overcrowding were the issues he most worried about. 'We certainly have not become less greedy or less stupid,' Hawking said. 'Six years ago I was worrying about pollution and overcrowding. They have gotten worse since then.' Professor Hawking and King also discussed artificial intelligence. Hawking says governments seem to be engaged in 'an AI arms race.' 'A rogue AI could be difficult to stop,' the physicist said. 'We need to ensure that AI is designed ethically with safeguards in place.' He also asked King whether his eight marriages are 'a triumph of hope over experience.' 'You make a good point, Stephen,' King said. 'I think the answer is yes.' Advertisement

But writing for the Guardian, Professor Hawking said the Brexit result was driving by a sense of inequality among those that voted to leave the EU.

He added that humanity needs to collaborate and change our assumptions of wealth and possessions if it is to tackle challenges like climate change, disease, food production and overpopulation.

Professor Hawking said: 'If we fail then the forces that contributed to Brexit, the envy and isolationism not just in the UK but around the world that spring from not sharing, of cultures driven by a narrow definition of wealth and a failure to divide it more fairly, both within nations and across national borders, will strengthen.

'If that were to happen, I would not be optimistic about the long-term outlook for our species.'

Professor Hawking initially found fame after battling motor neuron disease to develop ground-breaking theories about black holes.

More recently, however, he has started making predictions that technologies such as artificial intelligence could ultimately doom the human race if not developed with care.

He has also strayed into the realms of politics, joining dozens of other scientists to warn against leaving the European Union.

Recently he also said he struggled to understand the popularity of US Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Professor Hawking believes the vote to leave the European Union in Britain was driven by 'envy and isolationism' that sprang from the unequal sharing of wealth (vote leave sign pictured)

But his piece in the Guardian perhaps goes some way towards examining why voters are being drawn to candidates and campaigns that shake up the Status Quo.

STEPHEN HAWKING ON TRUMP He understands the workings of the universe like few others - but Stephen Hawking has admitted he cannot fathom the popularity of Donald Trump. The British astrophysicist told ITV's morning show that the presumptive Republican Party candidate for U.S. president 'is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.' Advertisement

Professor Hawking said he believed that wealth, and the way we understand and share it, is playing a crucial role in votes like the decision to leave the EU.

He echoed the words used by British Prime Minister Theresa May in her first week in office when she said: 'We need to reform the economy to allow more people to share in the country's prosperity.'

Professor Hawking said that while he understood that money was important – and in his case had allowed him access to medical treatment and care that had allowed him to live for so long with his disease – he did not see money as an end in itself.

He said questions about the value of possessions and ownership was leading to people to develop new ideas termed 'cathedral projects'.

Professor Hawking originally made his name though his ground-breaking theories about black holes but has recently strayed into talking about politics

He describes these as being the modern equivalent of building grand churches to 'bridge heaven and Earth', where ideas are started by one generation for future generations to take up.

Professor Hawking said: 'I hope and believe that people will brace more of this cathedral thinking for the future, as they have done in the past because we are in perilous times.

'Our planet and the human race face multiple challenges.'