Astrology has no scientific basis, asserts Nobel laureate

“We cannot accept even medical science without any scientific basis or proof, said Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, recipient of Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Delivering a lecture on ‘On Nobody’s Word: Evidence and Modern Science’, organised by the University of Mysore (UoM) as part of the centenary lecture series at Crawford Hall here, “There is this conflict between good science and bad science going on for years. The scientifically proven, evidence-based medical science will benefit humankind rather than the science based on belief system and practices,” the Nobel laureate said.

“If we take 10,000 years of history into consideration, we can notice significant changes in medical sciences in the past 100 years. The survival chances of people suffering from chronic diseases 100 years ago were bleak. But some pathbreaking changes and inventions in the past 100 years have doubled the life expectancy of human beings,” he said, adding that the modern day medical science, which is based on proof, has made it possible,” the Chidambaram-born biochemist said.

Alchemy, which has a history of over thousand years, was based on false beliefs (converting base metals to gold) but accumulated huge amounts of data about properties of substances and led to modern chemistry. Similarly, astrology, a study of movements of planets and stars, has led to modern astronomy, he said.

“There is no scientific basis on how movement of planets or stars can influence people’s fate. There are no solid proof to believe that variation in forces or time of birth would influence the events in the years to come,” he said adding that a culture based on superstitions will do worse than one based on scientific knowledge.