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<\/div>Jimmy Neutron<\/h2>
While nations are spending billions<\/a> to build football field-sized nuclear fusion reactors — the elusive process of harnessing energy from fusing atoms, rather than breaking them apart — a 12 year old kid from Memphis, Tennessee, just became the youngest person to have ever achieved nuclear fusion, according to Guinness World Records<\/em><\/a>.<\/p> With just hours left before he turned 13, Jackson Oswalt managed to fuse two deuterium atoms together in a fusion reactor he built — in his family’s house.<\/p> <\/p> According to Jackson, he was the only person who worked on the reactor during both the design and production stages.<\/p> “The temperature in my fusor varies, but it’s approximately 100 million degrees [Kelvin],” Jackson said in the Guinness World Records video accompanying the announcement.<\/p> “I have been able to use electricity to accelerate two atoms of deuterium together so that they fuse together into an atom of helium 3 [isotope], which also releases a neutron which can be used to heat up water and turn a steam engine, which in turn produces electricity,” he explained in the video.<\/p> Jackson was inspired by Taylor Wilson, who was the previous record holder<\/a> at the age of 14.<\/p> Building a DIY fusion reactor — albeit not one that can generate more power than you put into it, a holy grail among energy researchers — is a challenging but achievable task with a thriving online community around it.<\/p> “There were a few moments during the project that I had some reservations,” Jackson’s mother admitted. “I would definitely be googling things before he turned on various stages.”<\/p> She also added that “he did a great job of explaining it to us.”<\/p> READ MORE: <\/strong>Middle school student achieved nuclear fusion in his family playroom<\/a> [Guinness World Records<\/em>]<\/p> More on fusion:<\/strong> Elon Musk: Fusion Will Probably Be More Expensive Than Wind, Solar<\/a><\/em><\/p> The post Middle Schooler Builds Tiny, Working Fusion Reactor<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Read more from the original source: Jimmy Neutron While nations are spending billions to build football field-sized nuclear fusion reactors \u2014 the elusive process of harnessing energy from fusing atoms, rather than breaking them apart \u2014 a 12 year old kid from Memphis, Tennessee, just became the youngest person to have ever achieved nuclear fusion, according to Guinness World Records . Continue reading DIY Fusion<\/h2>
Some Reservations<\/h2>
Middle Schooler Builds Tiny, Working Fusion Reactor<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"