Good with numbers

The London Mathematical Society has awarded the De Morgan Medal to a mathematician who developed a problem that has yet to be solved.

Bryan Birch of Oxford University has been awarded the triennial prize in recognition of his influential contributions to modern number theory. This area of mathematics is used in ensuring the security of PIN codes and communications generally. Professor Birch worked with Sir Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, of Cambridge University, formulating the Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer conjectures, which are still open after 40 years.