Young genius achieves nuclear fusion at 12 VIDEO

Daily Galaxy describes in a fresh article that in an extraordinary achievement, 12-year-old Jackson Oswalt from Memphis, Tennessee, has made history by becoming the youngest person ever to accomplish nuclear fusion. However, his groundbreaking success took an unexpected twist when FBI agents visited his home to ensure his experiment posed no safety risks. 

Jackson's fascination with science began after a life-changing realization. As he shared with Guinness World Records, he understood early on that while excelling in video games might make him the best player, it wouldn’t offer him lasting value. This insight led him to redirect his focus toward science, which he saw as the closest real-life equivalent to his beloved games.

Instead of diving into comic books or movies, Jackson immersed himself in scientific research, watching YouTube videos on nuclear fusion and studying the materials required to conduct the process himself. His passion for the subject led him to learn about nuclear fusion — a process in which atomic nuclei fuse under intense heat and pressure, releasing or absorbing energy.

Jackson’s first step wasn’t jumping directly into fusion. He built a “demo fusor,” a device that creates plasma but doesn’t achieve fusion. To make this, he constructed a vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump, and even modified a neon sign transformer with a homemade AC-DC converter.

Despite the complexity of his project, Jackson presented his work at a science fair, having just managed to get it functioning the night before. He was surprised when the event organizers allowed him to showcase it.

After spending over a year gathering materials and testing his experiment, Jackson finally achieved nuclear fusion the day before his 13th birthday. His achievement was officially verified by Fusor.net, The Open Source Fusor Research Consortium, making him the youngest person in history to achieve nuclear fusion.

Jackson’s success, however, caught the attention of authorities. One Saturday morning, two FBI agents visited his home to ensure that his experiment didn’t pose any radiation hazards. The agents conducted a thorough search, using a Geiger counter to check for any signs of radiation.

Fortunately, Jackson’s experiment did not result in radiation, and there were no significant safety concerns. Reflecting on the situation, Jackson humorously said, "Fortunately, I remained a free man," signaling that everything ended on a positive note.

Now 19, Jackson is focused on his future. He is currently working with Midjourney, a research lab specializing in hardware and AI research. His journey from achieving nuclear fusion at 12 to making contributions to AI technology highlights the rapid evolution of his scientific interests and expertise.

By Naila Huseynova