Math used to be a young person game, but it now requires so much knowledge just to get to the frontiers of human knowledge, not to speak of making a dent into uncharted territory, that results are being obtained later and later in life. When mathematicians have had time to accrue sufficient knowledge while still being sharp enough to make the intellectual leap.
The sad part is that as the trend continues we may reach a point where a mathematician's intellectually productive life is not sufficient to contribute anything novel, statistically speaking. And as population seems to be close to peaking, we will also have less chances of exploring the extremes of mathematical dexterity.
Perhaps we could then rely on computer assisted theorem provers. Or life extension, as long as intellectually productive years are also increased. Or we will need to focus and specialize kids earlier on.
The sad part is that as the trend continues we may reach a point where a mathematician's intellectually productive life is not sufficient to contribute anything novel, statistically speaking. And as population seems to be close to peaking, we will also have less chances of exploring the extremes of mathematical dexterity.
Perhaps we could then rely on computer assisted theorem provers. Or life extension, as long as intellectually productive years are also increased. Or we will need to focus and specialize kids earlier on.