Alexander Grothendieck Dies

Alexander Grothendieck, Math Enigma, Dies at 86 – NYTimes.com.

Here is an excerpt from his letter to the Swedish Royal Academy rejecting the 1988  $250,000 Crafoord Prize.

“…the ethical standards of the sciences ( certainly in mathematics) have been degraded to such an extent that the most bare-faced plagiarism between colleagues ( often at the expense of those who can’t defend themselves), seems to have become the norm. At least it is generally tolerated, even in exceptionally flagrant instances. .”