I heard this story on the radio this morning, and find it both astoundingly amazing and tragically sad.
A Russian said to be the world’s cleverest man has turned down a $1 million prize for solving one of mathematics’ toughest puzzles.
Dr Grigory Perelman, 44, who lives as a recluse in a cockroach-infested flat in St Petersburg, said through the closed door: “I have all I want.”
The prize, the equivalent of £660,000, was given by the US Clay Mathematics Institute for solving the Poincare Conjecture, reports the Daily Mail.
Dr Perelman posted his solution on the internet but failed to turn up to receive his prestigious Fields Medal from the International Mathematical Union in Madrid four years ago.
At the time he stated: “I’m not interested in money or fame. I don’t want to be on display like an animal in a zoo.
“I’m not a hero of mathematics. I’m not even that successful, that is why I don’t want to have everybody looking at me.”
Neighbour Vera Petrovna said: “I was once in his flat and I was astounded. He only has a table, a stool and a bed with a dirty mattress which was left by previous owners – alcoholics who sold the flat to him.
“We are trying to get rid of cockroaches in our block, but they hide in his flat.”
The Poincare Conjecture was more than 100 years old when Perelman solved it – and could help determine the shape of the universe.
Source: Ananova
Whenever I can’t find something worthwhile to read on one of our local news websites, I go to the science section, and usually find something interesting there.
Here’s what I found in today’s science section on IOL…
- Global warming puts king penguins in danger – King penguins that feed on fish and squid at the northern edges of Antarctica are threatened by global warming, which is cutting down on their food supply.
- Bones of flying reptile found in China – Paleontologists have discovered the fossil of a new species of tiny prehistoric flying reptile in north-eastern China, a study released on Monday said. The miniature reptile lived about 120-million years ago and was about the size of a sparrow, with a wingspan less than a foot across.
- ‘Giant baby’ planet discovered – German astronomers have discovered a “giant baby” planet in deep space which they say has a mass 10 times as dense as Jupiter but is a scant 10 million years old – a newborn by cosmic standards.
- Ancient Indian city uncovered – Archaeologists have dug out the remains of a 2 500-year old city – believed to be bigger than classical Athens – from under the ruins of an ancient fort in India’s eastern state of Orissa, a newspaper reported on Monday. The findings of the team of archaeologists from India and the United States include the debris of household pottery and terracotta ornaments showing that the city’s inhabitants led an advanced lifestyle.
The ancient Indian city which was discovered particularly interests me. If I could’ve chosen another job, I would’ve loved to be an archaeologist. I guess its the adventurous side of the job that appeals to me so much. Just imagine finding a building which is centuries old, buried by sand, and completely forgotten. Yet still there were people who walked in those building, who LIVED there, and to whom it was as normal as our shopping malls are now. I find it intriguing, and would LOVE to discover something like that. One day.
The reason why I shared this today is because I sometimes forget what amazing people are out there, and the awesome things they’re doing. I forget that there are people out there STILL making discoveries, and that its not something that only happened in my history classes. Its just a reminder that we don’t know half the secrets that our Earth holds, and that there are still so many unknown things. Even though we live life “normally” each day, there’s a whole new ‘world’ out there. Somewhere.
