Buzz
Scientific breakthroughs typically demand years of meticulous effort and deep dedication to one's field. However, sometimes all that's needed is a burst of determination, a disregard for personal safety, and a bit of sheer luck.
10. David Hahn Constructs a Nuclear Reactor in His Backyard
In 1994, Boy Scout David Hahn, who had earned a merit badge in atomic energy three years earlier, attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his mother's garden shed. Hahn believed that completing this project would earn him the prestigious Eagle Scout rank. His accomplishments included constructing a neutron gun, tricking officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission into supplying him with necessary details for building a nuclear reactor, and collecting radioactive materials such as radium and thorium.
In 1998, Hahn became the subject of an article written by journalist Ken Silverstein titled 'The Radioactive Boy Scout.' As Silverstein recounted, 'He explained how he used coffee filters and pickle jars to handle dangerous materials like radium and nitric acid, and sheepishly revealed the various false identities and stories he used to obtain the radioactive elements.'
When the EPA discovered Hahn's reactor, they swiftly shut down the project before it could be completed. By that time, the experiment had become so dangerously irradiated that the town's 40,000 residents were at risk. Undeterred, Hahn was arrested in 2007 for stealing 16 smoke detectors, planning to harvest them for more radioactive experiments.
9. Drug Traffickers Created a Super Submarine
For years, Colombian drug traffickers attempted to outwit US authorities using homemade submarines. Built in covert shipyards, these “subs” were essentially wooden cigarette boats, unable to maneuver like true submarines. However, in the early 2000s, intelligence agencies started hearing reports of fully operational supersubs being constructed deep in the jungles of South America. These submarines were so elusive that US law enforcement began comparing them to the Loch Ness monster. One agent remarked, 'Never seen one before, never seized one before. But we knew it was out there.'
In 2010, the Ecuadorian Navy successfully captured one of these submarines. Jay Bergman, the head of the US Drug Enforcement Agency in South America, described the submarine as 'a quantum leap in technology.' The 22-meter (74 ft) vessel could carry up to 9 tons of cocaine (worth $250 million on the streets) and was equipped with 249 batteries, enabling it to travel nearly invisibly for up to 18 hours before needing to recharge.
8. NASA-Quality Space Photos for Under $800
In 2008, Robert Harrison, a 28-year-old IT director and father of three, managed to capture NASA-quality space images using only a Canon digital camera, a helium weather balloon, and a GPS. The balloon, named Icarus I by Harrison, photographed the Earth from over 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) above the planet's surface.
The entire project cost just £500 ($747). The images were so impressive that NASA reached out to Harrison to understand how he achieved such remarkable results on an IT director’s budget. 'People assume this is something that costs millions,' he said, 'but it doesn’t. You just need a bit of technical know-how. I don’t know much about electronics, and whatever I do know, I learned from the Internet.'
7. A Rock Star Creates a Missile Defense System
Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, famous to music lovers as the guitarist for the Doobie Brothers and a founding member of Steely Dan, has transitioned into a surprising second career as one of the top counterterrorism experts in the US. A self-described hippie guitarist, Baxter now plays a role in national security.
While on tour, Baxter became interested in music technology, eventually shifting his focus to weapons systems. He taught himself about the subject and even authored a paper on missile defense. 'I sat down at my Tandy 200,' he recalled, 'and wrote this paper about how to convert the Aegis weapon system—why it would be practical to adapt it for theatre missile defense because it would be mobile and give the US a new role in NATO in the 21st century. I have no idea. I just did it.'
Following 9/11, Baxter was called upon for consultation on US counterterrorism efforts due to his innovative ideas. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher noted, 'Skunk didn’t grow up in the system. He hasn’t been beaten down by the system. So his very freedom of thought and his gut-level understanding of technology contributes greatly, and people know that.' Today, the former rock star chairs the Congressional Advisory Board on Missile Defense and advises companies like Northrop Grumman and General Atomics.
6. A Tanzanian Schoolboy Proves Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold
The Mpemba effect (named after its grade school originator, Erasto B. Mpemba) suggests that under certain conditions, hot water freezes faster than cold water. While making ice cream with his classmates, Mpemba observed that warm milk froze more quickly than chilled milk. This idea may seem counterintuitive, but Mpemba wasn’t the first to make such a claim. Thinkers like Aristotle, Sir Francis Bacon, and René Descartes had similar theories, though none were able to prove it.
Mpemba, together with physicist Denis Osbourne, conducted his own experiments and succeeded in proving his hypothesis. For years, many scientists noted Mpemba's findings, but it wasn't until 2010 that James Brownridge from the State University of New York at Binghamton published a study that provided reproducible results. To replicate the Mpemba effect, Brownridge used two different water samples—one distilled and one tap water.
To this day, the scientific community is divided over the Mpemba effect, as the phenomenon requires a very specific set of conditions to be replicated.
5. A Priest Holds the World Record for Most Supernova Discoveries
Australian priest Robert Evans enjoys gazing at the night sky during his free time, and he’s exceptionally skilled at it. Evans has memorized over 1,000 galaxies, enabling him to quickly survey each field with just his eyes. Since 1981, Evans has discovered more than 40 supernovae, a world record. In his 2003 book *A Short History of Nearly Everything*, Bill Bryson likened Evans’s talent for spotting supernovae to the ability to find a single grain of salt added to a 2-mile-long table of salt.
Evans made the majority of his discoveries not using a giant observatory telescope but from his own backyard. 'Out of the 40 visual discoveries,' he remarked, '10 were found using my 10-inch reflector, 18 with my 16-inch, three with the 40-inch telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, and the rest with the 12-inch telescope I currently use at home.'
4. A 10-Year-Old Girl Discovers a New Explosive Molecule
During a science class, 10-year-old Clara Lazen accidentally stumbled upon a new explosive molecule. While building models of molecules with wooden balls and sticks, Clara created a compound that combined nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
When Clara showed her creation to her teacher, Kenneth Boehr, he recognized that she might have discovered something significant. Boehr photographed the molecule and sent the images to his friend Robert Zoellner, a chemistry professor at Humboldt State University. After reviewing the photos, Zoellner confirmed that Clara had, in fact, discovered a new molecule, *tetranitratoxycarbon*.
Tetranitratoxycarbon, which shares the same atomic composition as nitroglycerin, has the potential to store substantial amounts of energy. If it were synthesized, it could result in a powerful explosion.
Following Clara's discovery, she, Boehr, and Zoellner have been credited as co-authors of a research paper discussing the molecule. Zoellner believes tetranitratoxycarbon could become highly significant as researchers continue to explore new methods for energy extraction.
185-Year-Old Man Builds Cathedrals From Trash
Justo Gallego Martinez, a Spanish monk, has managed to construct an entire cathedral using only salvaged materials, including bricks sourced from local factories. While his design is loosely inspired by St. Peter’s Cathedral, it also features architectural elements from European castles, churches, and even the White House.
Remarkably, Justo has no formal blueprints or engineering plans. In fact, he has no formal training in engineering or architecture whatsoever.
After leaving farming, Justo joined the Benedictine order, but tuberculosis forced him to leave the monastery. During his recovery, he prayed to the Lady of the Pillar, the title given to the Virgin Mary after her appearance in Zaragoza, Spain. He vowed that if he survived the illness, he would construct a church in her honor. Once he recovered, Justo didn’t let his lack of expertise deter him from fulfilling this promise.
2. Truck Drivers Build An Atomic Bomb
Reverse engineering is when scientists examine existing technology to recreate a similar version without the original blueprints. While this is common in the military, it becomes far more eyebrow-raising when a truck driver, with no formal education, attempts to build an atomic bomb.
Over a period of 10 years, former truck driver John Coster-Mullen studied pictures and interviewed more than 150 scientists and engineers who had worked on the Manhattan Project. The scientists were more than willing to help the man attempting to build his own nuclear device. The result was a bomb that received “rave reviews” from the National Defense Council, the very agency paid to prevent such things from happening.
When asked about his accomplishment, Coster-Mullen responded, “The secret of the atomic bomb is how easy they are to make.”
312. -Year-Old Develops His Own Theory Of Relativity
In 2011, 12-year-old prodigy Jacob Barnett believed he had discovered flaws in Einstein’s theory of relativity. With an IQ of 170, Jacob explained his expanded theory of relativity to his mother, Kristine Barnett. Kristine, admitting she had failed high school math, asked Jacob to slow down while she recorded his explanation.
After the video was uploaded to YouTube, Jacob's theory attracted the attention of several prominent scientists. Scott Tremaine, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, remarked, “The theory that he’s working on addresses some of the most difficult issues in astrophysics and theoretical physics… Anyone who solves these will likely be in line for a Nobel Prize.” Soon after the video went viral, Jacob was offered a paid research position at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.
