Elusive reality

With reference to Death of a star (February 20), I would like to state that there is a gap between dream and reality. Einstein too had a grand dream and 25 years of his life was spent in efforts to get through the reality, which was denied to him. The first breakthrough in this direction was achieved by astrophysicist S. Chandrashekhar, when he formulated the famous Chandrashekhar Limit. It was a daunting effort to apply Einstein’s general theory of relativity and the then newly discovered quantum mechanics. In this context, the efforts of Pankaj Joshi and his colleagues in solving the riddle of massive and exploding stars is praiseworthy. The reality, however, still remains elusive.

A.Q. Siddiqui
Jamshedpur

Watch your health

With reference to Control is always better than cure (February 20), I would like to state that every human being needs to keep a close watch on his or her health in order to eschew premature physical deformities. Diseases like diabetes may lead to blindness, heart disorders, and other problems, which may eventually result in early death. Check-up of blood sugar at regular intervals, diet control and regular exercise can help you get rid of this ubiquitous problem.

Moloy Bhattacharya
Burdwan

Brain boosters

I was very glad to know that Indian scientists Pankaj Joshi, Rituparno Goswami and another colleague have predicted the ultimate fate of stars and a new route to collapse of an obese star (Death of a star, February 20). However, the bone of contention with Einstein’s general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics are creating confusion, which is evident in the case of string theory. With these lurking questions remaining unanswered, we can’t claim that the puzzle has been cracked.

Kaustav Datta
Cooch Behar