In 2018, Jackson Oswalt achieved nuclear fusion in the playroom of his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 12. Guiness World Records confirmed his achievement. What surprised us is that he is not the first to do this. The previous record-holder was 14. And one of the experts who confirmed Oswalt’s achievement is “fusion researcher, Richard Hull, who maintains a list of amateur scientists who have achieve fusion at home.”

The Daily Mail reports, “The machine was built from customized vacuums, pumps and chambers bought on eBay by his parents, costing the family a total of $10,000.”

We have to admit that achieving nuclear fusion is a tough act to follow at the middle school science fair, but it does show what’s possible.