Science

A teenager successfully performs a nuclear meltdown in his bedroom and soon after, the big criminal investigation organization comes knocking on his door

Jackson Oswalt had an epiphany at age 11 when he realized that being “the absolute best” at any videogame wouldn’t mean much, so he switched to science.

NASA

Greg Heilman

Update: Mar 28th, 2025 04:14 EDT

At just 12 years old, Jackson Oswalt from Memphis, Tennessee, earned the Guinness World Records title for youngest person in the world to achieve nuclear fusion. But what’s even more astonishing? He did it in his own bedroom explains Huffington Post.

A childhood hobby that went nuclear

Oswalt’s passion for science began when he “had a sudden epiphany,” realizing that while he “could be the absolute best at whatever videogame… in the end it still wouldn’t mean much.”

“In the grand scheme of things, videogames had no role to play,” he added. “So, I changed my ways. Immediately I switched to the closest thing to videogames in real life: science.”

The story of Taylor Wilson set him upon his journey that would result in him becoming the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion. Taylor had built a nuclear fusion reactor as a teenager which Oswalt thought he could do too.

His first project was a demonstration fusor, or ‘demo fuser,’ a device that generates plasma but doesn’t achieve full nuclear fusion. He set about watching YouTube videos and picked up the necessary parts and materials on eBay.

The science behind his experiment

Oswalt was just 11 began on his first creation, meticulously assembling a vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump, a neon transformer, and even a homemade AC-DC converter. When finished, he showcased it at his school science fair.

He then went about modifying it so that his fusion reactor could actually produce power. “I rebuilt the vacuum chamber, got a turbomolecular pump from eBay, sourced some Deuterium,” he explained.

It took about a year of testing, once the modifications were carried out, before he successfully achieved fusion on 2 February 2018, just over two hours from his 13th birthday, meaning he was technically 12.

What he didn’t expect, however, was what came next.

When the FBI came knocking on his door

Oswalt’s impressive experiment drew the attention of the FBI. Agents showed up at his home one Saturday morning, concerned about the potential radiation risks of his fusion experiment. Armed with a Geiger counter—the device used to measure radioactivity—the FBI conducted sweeps of the house to ensure there was no danger to the neighborhood.

Fortunately for Oswalt and his family, the investigation found no concerning levels of radiation, allowing him to continue his scientific journey. Interest in his story grew as word about it spread. He’s been invited to tour energy startups around the nation and even see a fission power plant in action.

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From teenage scientist to AI innovator

Now 19, Oswalt’s early passion for science has propelled him into a cutting-edge career. He currently works on hardware for research labs like Midjourney, a specialized lab focused on artificial intelligence research and development.