Nobel Laureate David Baltimore

David Baltimore, one of the most consequential scientists of the 20th Century died at home on Saturday, Sept. 6th. Baltimore was a biologist who won the Nobel Prize in 1975 along with Howard Temin and Renato Dulbecco. The prize was for their discoveries concerning the interaction between tumour viruses and the genetic material of the cell, specifically the discovery of the enzyme reverse transcriptase.  This discovery helped with the understanding of retroviruses and viruses, including HIV. It also led to research that enabled the correction of genetic diseases. Baltimore was only 37 when he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 

Baltimore joined the biology faculty of MIT in 1968, receiving tenure in 1972 at the age of 34.

That year progressed Pluto went direct in his chart in June and Mercury turned retrograde. The years when planets change direction often indicate key events in the life.

The year he won the Nobel prize he had progressed Sun just past the conjunction with his Aries Midheaven, progressed Venus conjunct Uranus in the 10th house and Neptune oppose his Mars in Aries in the 10th.

The Solar Return for 1975 shows Venus on the Midheaven in Aries, and Jupiter and Sun in Pisces in the 9th house, which rules higher education and professors. His life's work also contributed greatly to cancer research. 

Baltimore also founded the Whitehead Institute in1982 and was the President of both Caltech and Rockefeller University. Venus is in Pisces in the 9th house of higher education, trine Pluto. Saturn in Aries is also in the 9th. He mentored many brilliant graduate students who went on make major contributions to research on cancer and other diseases. 

His natal chart shows great promise. In terms of giftedness, he has Uranus in the 10th, and the unique combination of three-twelve, or Mercury and Neptune. See Giftedness in the Chart. 

The Sun is conjunct Mercury in Pisces (12) in the 8th house, which is the Scorpio house of research, oppose Neptune in Virgo on the cusp of the third house (3). This shows great intuition along with great research skills. Mars is in Aries on the Midheaven. This shows great drive. Baltimore knew what he wanted his life's work to be when he was in high school. His mother (moon in Taurus sextile Venus in Pisces) sent him to a summer science program his junior year. 

Pluto is in the 12th square to Mars in the 10th.  Strong Pluto and strong Scorpio can make for great researchers. Jupiter in Aquarius in the 7th shows the genius of those who worked with him in his research. His wife was also a scientist.