Mersenne did a lot more than mathematics. He was the international facilitator and coordinator of the science branch of the Renaissance.
With help from Google found this:
Marin Mersenne
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Who was Marin Mersenne?
You are probably visiting here because of an interest in Mersenne Primes. It was not until the mid 20th century that Mersenne became known primarily for his Prime Number Conjecture. Historically, he was much better known for his correspondence with leading scientists of the day (hence the
other Mersenne Mailing List). Interested in optics, he also been called (no pun intended) the Father of Acoustics. Here are some links that will tell you something about the man himself:
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See link above for more.......