We review recent progress in our understanding of the nature of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and in particular, of the relationship between short GRBs and long GRBs. The first example of a short GRB is described. The coincidental occurrence of a GRB with a supernova (SN) is explained within the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) paradigm, following the sequence: 1) an initial binary system consists of a compact carbon-oxygen (CO) core star and a neutron star (NS); 2) the CO core explodes as a SN, and part of the SN ejecta accretes onto the NS which reaches its critical mass and collapses to a black hole (BH) giving rise to a GRB; 3) a new NS is generated by the SN as a remnant. The observational consequences of this scenario are outlined.
Date added: Tue, 8 Oct 13