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This explains the whole story:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/08/28/060828fa_fact2?c...

Note that this has been strongly disputed by certain parties mentioned in the article that do not come off that well, but the New Yorker stands by the reporting and has not issued corrections.

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Perelman, by casually posting a proof on the Internet of one of the most famous problems in mathematics, was not just flouting academic convention but taking a considerable risk. If the proof was flawed, he would be publicly humiliated, and there would be no way to prevent another mathematician from fixing any errors and claiming victory.

This is both frightening and disappointing. I can hardly imagine how much advancement in the field is being held back by this attitude.

They think of this math as the math they saw in high school, which is focused on accuracy. No such thing is true. At this level, mathematics is about insights and creativity. It's like writing a novel, posting it on the internet, and having someone else fix the typos and claim it as their own.

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