Doomsday prophecies have no scientific validity

PROPHECIES asserting August 18, 1999, will be doomsday are fallacious, scientists said.

With the turn of the century, rumours have been spread that a "planetary cross" would befall human beings this year, bringing calamity in its wake.

Falun Gong organizers said that the Earth would explode at the end of this century.

These fallacies, which have caused great anxiety to some people, are completely groundless, said Fu Chengqi, a researcher with the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Scientific research has taught that the nine major planets in the solar system continuously revolve round the sun. These planets form various patterns over the course of time because of their movements.

"The planetary cross" is simply one of the various patterns that has no scientific or substantial meaning, the Shanghai-based Jiefang Daily quoted Fu as saying.

The fallacies come from the book "Each Century" by French prophet Nostredamus (16th century), said Zhao Fuyuan, a researcher of the CAS Beijing Astronomical Observatory, in an interview with China Daily.

Nostredamus said in his book that a "terror king" would fall from the heaven in 1999.

Based on this prediction, a Japanese writer also wrote a book "Great Prophecy _ Great Calamity for Human Beings in 1999," saying that a large "planetary cross" would appear in the sky on August 18, 1999, which would cause the calamity predicted by Nostredamus.

The sun and the moon are the biggest celestial bodies that have a gravitational influence on the Earth.

The farther a celestial body is from the Earth, the smaller the gravitation force it has to the latter, said Zhao.

The other planets -- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are very far from the Earth.

Furthermore, they are too small to influence the earth even if they form a "cross pattern," said Zhao.

The poor diffusion of scientific knowledge among citizens is the major factor leading to people's beliefs in superstition or so-called prophecies, said Zhao.

Research institutes, while conducting academic projects, should also set up special groups to advise the public of scientific findings and understandings, he suggested.

China Daily 08/16/99