This is intriguing, but not necessarily surprising. People have been rediscovering calculus for ages.
It does bring to mind the question of what /else/ has been lost to the ages, and how far ahead we would be right now without it. Like Ramujan, brilliance is not limited to the wealthy; just that the application of it often is (the wealthy can afford the time/energy to become educated, etc).
The most interesting thing that has been lost to history, would properly be some of the works of Aristotle, as the western worlds understanding of science was bootstrapped from his works during the reformation.
It does bring to mind the question of what /else/ has been lost to the ages, and how far ahead we would be right now without it. Like Ramujan, brilliance is not limited to the wealthy; just that the application of it often is (the wealthy can afford the time/energy to become educated, etc).