Changing view

Sir — One of the most talked about shows at the moment is the epic-fantasy drama, House of the Dragon, an adaption of the series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. While the previous adaption from the same series, Game of Thrones, was hotly-debated because of its scenes of sexual violence, particularly against women, the makers of the prequel have pulled back on unnecessary shots of violence. But many viewers have argued that the removal of such scenes could result in whitewashing the lived experiences of women. While it is true that women’s lives are often tinged with violence, there is a fine line between acknowledging that reality and depicting such horrors on screen in detail. Film-makers must find a way to balance the two extremes.

Sounita Chatterjee, Calcutta

Origin story

Sir — The Swedish geneticist, Svante Pääbo, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution (“Nobel for Neanderthal genome”, Oct 4). Pääbo has been successful in sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, an extinct relative of present-day humans. His discoveries will help shed light on the influence of archaic gene sequences from our extinct ‘evolutionary cousins’ on the make-up and physiology of modern day humans. It is interesting to know that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbred following the human migration out of Africa some 70,000 years ago. The gene flow between the two has a bearing on the immune response of modern humans to infections such as the coronavirus, thereby having implications for modern medicine. According to Pääbo, Covid-19 patients with a snippet of Neanderthal DNA run a higher risk of severe complications from the disease. Pääbo’s discovery will have profound implications for the field of evolutionary biology.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Svante Pääbo’s discovery of a previously unknown hominin, Denisova, by genome sequencing Neanderthals is a massive scientific progress. Denisovans are an extinct subspecies of archaic human beings that lived across Asia during the lower and middle Paleolithic age. Pääbo is the son of Karl Sune Detlof Bergström, a Swedish biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in the same category in 1982 for his discoveries concerning prostaglandins — a group of lipids made at sites of tissue damage or infection that are involved in dealing with injury and illness — and related substances. This is one of the rare instances of a parent and child winning the coveted prize.

Vijay Singh Adhikari, Nainital, Uttarakhand

Sir — The Norwegian Nobel committee has rightly recognised the lifelong contributions of Svante Pääbo in the field of evolutionary biology. Pääbo has “accomplished something seemingly impossible” by sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal and with his discovery of the hominim, Denisova. His contributions to the field will lead to a new understanding of Homo sapiens.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Hasty step

Sir — The Bilaspur district administration in Himachal Pradesh had asked all journalists covering the visit of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to the state to produce character certificates for access and security passes. Later, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jairam Thakur, said that the government has withdrawn the official order, which had drawn the ire of mediapersons.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Sir — Jairam Thakur has taken the right decision by withdrawing the official order demanding character certificates from journalists. It is clear that the Bilaspur administration did not think this decision through.

Mrunal Singh, Delhi

Glorious end

Sir — It seems that India’s Mars Orbiter craft has run out of propellant and its battery has drained beyond the safe limit. The country’s maiden interplanetary mission, Mangalyaan, may have finally completed its long innings. The Mars Orbiter Mission was launched onboard the PSLV-C25 on November 5, 2013, and the spacecraft successfully entered the Martian orbit next year. According to officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Mars orbiter craft functioned for almost eight years, well beyond its designed mission life of six months. There is no doubt that the Mars Orbiter Mission has had a successful run.

Akshita Dhurve, Ujjain

Tough lives

Sir — Growing old has become increasingly difficult. It is expensive and can be overwhelming for those who do not have enough money or a support system. There is much debate around how the government as well as the civil society could help in caring for the elderly but there has been little progress on the matter. Most retired persons do not have pensions and often struggle to make ends meet. The government must find ways to help the elderly. Everyone should be able to live with dignity.

H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

Equal care

Sir — October 4 is observed as World Animal Day to acknowledge the roles played by animals in our life as pets and companions. Dogs serve people with disabilities as well as the police force. We must appreciate the contributions of our furry friends.

T.S. Karthik, Chennai