Letters

How the Universe Will End

"Why should we care? Why not worry about the problems that can kill us in 100 years, not trillions of years!" CRAIG ANTHONY TRUGLIA Mahopac, N.Y.

Scientists and theologians squabble about the beginning of time and the universe [SPACE, June 25], but regardless of the fine points of their arguments, they are still singing from the same sheet of music: there was a beginning, and there will be an end. I believe that the universe is actually infinite in time and space. Our Big Bang was exactly that--ours. We will never discover the oldest body in the universe because we will never be able to sense its existence. It is safe to assume that there were other Big Bangs, and more will occur. LAWRENCE A. GIRARD Depauville, N.Y.

So scientists conclude the universe began with a bang, but they expect there will be no happy ending. I can't see Hollywood rushing in for the film rights. Still, I would be interested in finding out what happened before the beginning and what happens after the end. CONRAD MILL Antananarivo, Madagascar

Attempting to comprehend fully the vast edges of the cosmos is futile. Doubtless these theories will be revised and replaced many times over. Perhaps it is best to ignore why the world turns and simply celebrate that it does. Don't worry about the end of the universe; no one gets out alive. JOHN CURRAN Wellesley, Mass.

The presentation of scientific theories as proof positive that we have unlocked one of the greatest mysteries of all time is pure folly. The scenario of absolute, total cataclysmic destruction of everything is irresponsible. For those of us with a faith in a higher power, the story's final paragraph was the ultimate atheistic tweak of the nose: "a disembodied digital intelligence" may survive to note "an unimaginably vast, cold, dark and profoundly lonely place." Did the writer experience a jolt of perverse, sadistic joy in writing these depressing words? Shame on all of you for your pseudoscientific Chicken Littleism. LYNNE PERILLI Southbury, Conn.

Apparently quite a lot happened in the first second following the Big Bang. This is only slightly less time than it took me to become hopelessly confused reading about it. DON McCORT Fort Myers, Fla.

Scientists rarely discuss where that "speck smaller than a proton" came from, who put it there and what started its expansion some 15 billion years ago. The reason they don't tackle that ultimate question is that seeking the answer always leads to something they can't photograph, measure or make up equations for--God. DAVE REISER Palatine, Ill.

Could it be that the cosmos started when God himself exploded? MARC BULTE Ninove, Belgium

--Is the ultimate fate of the cosmos too gloomy to contemplate, even at a few trillion years' remove? A lot of you got downright doleful at the faraway prospect. "Thank you for making me feel very, very small," griped a reader from Los Angeles. Even more despondent was a Californian from Castro Valley, who called our story "the most depressing thing I have ever read. It seems we are doomed no matter what we do. Pass the Prozac." A Houstonian was "extremely distraught to think of the universe as an infinitely large, charred nothing." But in Cincinnati, Ohio, one man put the event in seasonal perspective: "Why must the universe end? There is no answer. Relax. It's summertime. Have an ice-cold beer."

To Europe and Back

About George W. Bush's trip to Europe [WORLD, June 25]: the thousands of protesters in Goteborg, Sweden, had a clear message: America, or at least its President, is too enthusiastic about the death penalty and not adequately concerned about the environment. President Bush should heed this message because there are plenty of people in his country who feel the same. Protecting the environment and reducing armed conflict are serious responsibilities that require a great deal more than just showing up and speaking intelligibly. Why is it that the so-called leader of the free world can get by with such low standards? ERIN K. MURPHY Philadelphia

What with Bush pushing a missile-defense system, scrapping the Antiballistic Missile Treaty and encouraging NATO expansion to Russia's borders, Vladimir Putin has every reason to be delighted with the U.S. President. The Russian leader now has all the excuses he needs to justify meeting the demands of his generals for increased military funding. RALPH KRESS La Mesa, Calif.

So Bush's European visit exceeded expectations. One must give the Bush handlers high fives for having so very nimbly exploited a ploy first used at the time of the presidential candidates' debates. We continually hear how poorly Bush is expected to perform, and then there is exultation over how much better he has done. Thus we are all thrilled with the mediocrity and flawed accomplishments that can be trumpeted as triumph. A. ROY STUBBS Shelby, N.C.

A New Deal on Emissions

Robert E. Grady's article, with suggestions on how to revise the Kyoto Protocol to make it acceptable and effective [VIEWPOINT, June 25], was right on the mark. An incentive-based long-term system involving all countries is definitely the way to go to reduce global emissions. Costs can be equalized based on global market levels. Each country's individual expenses can be measured as a percentage of its GDP and a value for credits calculated. Richer countries will obviously pay more of the total, but all countries will share in some part of the cost of what essentially affects the entire planet. DAVID A. LEETE Daytona Beach, Fla.

Spare Us the Details

I was terribly disappointed by Richard Corliss's article on Steven Spielberg's new movie A.I. [CINEMA, June 25]. Why must reviewers give away significant plot points? It ruins the surprises in the film. While I was in line to see The Empire Strikes Back when it first came out, an exiting audience member shouted, "Darth Vader is Luke's father!" Corliss's article achieved the same effect. ANDREW KANTOR Cincinnati, Ohio

Reality Bites

The item about the Komodo Dragon in the Los Angeles Zoo biting Sharon Stone's husband Phil Bronstein leads me to ask where the San Francisco Chronicle executive editor's brains were when he entered the dragon's cage without his shoes on [PEOPLE, June 25]. San Franciscans have historically chuckled, "When you visit L.A., check your brains at the airport." Apparently that's what Bronstein did. Earth to Phil! We residents of sunny Southern California would never do such a stupid thing! CAROLE WADE Los Angeles