Despite Lou Gehrig's Disease, Stephen Hawking Will Turn 70

Famed scientist Stephen Hawking will turn 70 on Sunday, January 8. Unlike his ability to shed light on some of the most intricate aspects of the Universe, other scientists appear to be unable to determine how it is that the physicist managed to survive for so long while suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease (not that anyone minds, mind you!).

The condition is known as motor neuron disease, and it usually kills sufferers within a few years of diagnostic. Hawking is a notable exception, since he was diagnosed with the condition at the age of 21. This means that he has been living with it for about 49 years.

According to experts who have been studying this condition for a very long time, there are little to no recorded cases of sufferers living for so long. Doctors describe the physicist's longevity as extraordinary and completely uncommon, Herald Online reports.