<story><title>Major discoveries made by mathematicians past age 50 (2010)</title><url>https://mathoverflow.net/questions/25630/major-mathematical-advances-past-age-fifty</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>wanderingmind</author><text>Yiting Zhang as discussed in the comments of the MO thread, is one of the most important contemporary examples. He worked as a temporary lecturer and being aged 58 produced one of the finest works in number theory. He solved the long-standing problem infinitely re-occuring consecutive prime numbers (a weaker formulation of twin prime conjecture) [0]. This will be regarded as one of the most important breakthroughs of 21st century in mathematics. New Yorker had an in depth article about him[1]&lt;p&gt;[0] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;annals.math.princeton.edu&amp;#x2F;2014&amp;#x2F;179-3&amp;#x2F;p07&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;annals.math.princeton.edu&amp;#x2F;2014&amp;#x2F;179-3&amp;#x2F;p07&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.newyorker.com&amp;#x2F;magazine&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;02&amp;#x2F;02&amp;#x2F;pursuit-beauty&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.newyorker.com&amp;#x2F;magazine&amp;#x2F;2015&amp;#x2F;02&amp;#x2F;02&amp;#x2F;pursuit-beauty&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>Major discoveries made by mathematicians past age 50 (2010)</title><url>https://mathoverflow.net/questions/25630/major-mathematical-advances-past-age-fifty</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>JJMcJ</author><text>Attributing &amp;quot;young man&amp;#x27;s game&amp;quot; to G. H. Hardy, he&amp;#x27;d had a heart attack the year before he published &lt;i&gt;A Mathematician&amp;#x27;s Apology&lt;/i&gt;, and by all accounts, had lost much of his drive and energy.&lt;p&gt;The whole book has something of a sad tone to it.</text></comment>