The Corner

Prime-Number Breakthrough

I hope nobody will think this TOO incongruous amid all the war news, but

there has been a major breakthrough in prime number theory this past few

days. I have written it up on my website in language I hope any

literate and patient non-mathematician can grasp. (But in haste, so you

must excuse the odd typo.) The result was got by two scholars working

together, Daniel Goldston of San Jose State University and Cem Yildirim of

Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. I should like to be able to tell

you that this is a Jewish-Muslim collaboration, but I don’t actually know

Yildirim’s confession. (And he might, of course, be Jewish himself–Turkey

has lots of Jews.) Any information on this would be appreciated. If it

**is** a Jewish-Muslim collaboration, that would be a very happy omen

John Derbyshire — Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.
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