Many of the founding fathers, major architects, and most prominent advocates of string theory are scientists of Jewish descent. Theoretical physics has historically had a high representation of Jewish scientists, and string theory is no exception.

Here are some of the most influential Jewish physicists who have supported, developed, or championed string theory:

o Leonard Susskind
Widely regarded as one of the "founding fathers" of string theory. In 1969, he (along with Yoichiro Nambu and Holger Bech Nielsen) independently discovered that the dual resonance model could be explained by a quantum mechanical string. He is also a major proponent of the holographic principle.

o Edward Witten
Arguably the most influential living theoretical physicist and a central figure in string theory. In 1995, he unified the five competing versions of string theory into a single framework known as "M-theory," sparking the "second superstring revolution." He is the only physicist to have ever won the Fields Medal (mathematics' highest honor).

o Gabriele Veneziano
Born into a Jewish family in Florence, Italy, Veneziano's 1968 paper on the strong nuclear force introduced the "Veneziano amplitude." This mathematical formula is widely considered the very first spark that ignited the entire field of string theory.

o Nathan Seiberg
An Israeli-American theoretical physicist who, along with Edward Witten, developed "Seiberg-Witten theory." His work has been crucial in understanding the exact dynamics of string theory and quantum field theories.

o David Gross
A Nobel laureate who co-discovered asymptotic freedom. In the 1980s, Gross, along with Jeffrey Harvey, Emil Martinec, and Ryan Rohm (the "Princeton String Quartet"), formulated the "heterotic string theory," which was a massive breakthrough during the first superstring revolution.

o Brian Greene
One of the most famous modern string theorists and science popularizers. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of different string theories (specifically mirror symmetry) and brought string theory to the mainstream public through his book and documentary, The Elegant Universe.

o Stanley Mandelstam
A South African-born theoretical physicist who made profound early contributions to string theory, including proving that the scattering amplitudes of string theory were mathematically finite and consistent.

String theory is a massive, collaborative, international effort, but the theoretical foundations of the math and physics behind it are deeply tied to the work of these and many other Jewish scientists.