Not sure where else to ask this, as I'm afraid that bringing it up candidly to my professors may (possibly subconsciously) cause them to write me a less-emphatic recommendation. Lately it seems like all published math will be divided between pre-2026 and post-2026, with post-2026 work essentially having an asterisk by the authors' names to indicate that they should be given significantly less respect/prestige. I'm a math major who's currently applying to graduate school, and am coming to grips…