18 February 2026
By Publisher Ray Carmen
In an age when most 12-year-olds are mastering video games, Aiden McMillan, a seventh-grader from Dallas, Texas, has reportedly achieved something extraordinary — nuclear fusion inside a home-built device.
After four years of study, experimentation, and relentless curiosity, Aiden successfully generated fusion reactions using a small fusor constructed in his playroom laboratory. He is now submitting documentation to Guinness World Records in hopes of becoming the youngest person ever officially recognised for achieving nuclear fusion.
What Does “Achieving Fusion” Mean?
Nuclear fusion is the same process that powers the Sun — forcing atomic nuclei together under intense conditions to release energy.
While home-built fusors do not produce net energy (they require more power than they generate), achieving measurable fusion reactions is still an extraordinary technical feat — especially for someone so young.
It requires:
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Advanced physics knowledge
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High-voltage systems
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Vacuum chamber engineering
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Radiation safety protocols
This is not a school science fair project — this is serious experimental physics.
The Current Record Holder
If Aiden’s claim is verified, he could surpass Jackson Oswalt, who previously achieved nuclear fusion at age 12 and was formally recognised by Guinness World Records after building a fusor in his bedroom in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jackson’s accomplishment made global headlines and cemented his place in STEM history. Now, a new name may join — or even redefine — that legacy.
A New Generation of Innovators
Whether or not the record is officially confirmed, the broader message is clear:
The next generation is thinking bigger, earlier, and bolder.
From lunar cities to bedroom fusion reactors, today’s youth are not waiting for permission to innovate. They are building, experimenting, and challenging the boundaries of what is possible.
At 12 years old, Aiden McMillan may not yet power a city — but he has certainly ignited something far brighter:
Proof that curiosity, discipline, and ambition can burn as hot as a star.
