A minor American is reportedly the youngest person in the world to have provoked a successful nuclear response. According to the Guardian, Jackson Oswalt from Memphis, Tennessee, achieved the significant achievement on January 12, 2018, when he was 12 years old. His work has been recognized by the Open Source Fusor Research Consortium, an association of hobbyists.
"I made tremendous progress last month. I have in my hands results that are very remarkable ", the child had written in the Fusor.net forum then. As he revealed, he had turned an old room in his parents' house into a nuclear laboratory with $ 10.000 worth of equipment.
"At the beginning of the process I focused on finding out what others did with their nuclear reactors", Jackson, 14, told Fox today."Then I made a list of essentials. I found them mainly on eBay. I repaired some of the items that were not exactly as they should be "
His father, Chris Oswalt, who works for a medical equipment company, told USA Today that he was very skeptical about his child's work. Those who judged him, however, were convinced when they saw what he had accomplished.
However, the scientists seem to maintain their skepticism until Oswalt's work is judged by an experienced team and the results are published in an academic journal.
Source: CNN