At 10-years-old, Taylor Wilson built his first bomb in his garage. Four years later, he became the 32nd person in the world to ever build a successfully working nuclear fusion reactor (also, in his garage).

“I would say someone like him comes along maybe once in a generation,” says Kristina Johnson, former Under Secretary of Energy at the US DOE. “He’s not just smart; he’s cool and articulate. I think he may be the most amazing kid I’ve ever met.”

Neither parent is involved in the sciences, at the very least. Taylor’s dad, Kenneth is a Coca-Cola bottler and an ex-athlete while mom Tiffany is a yoga instructor. “Neither of us knows a dang thing about science,” Kenneth quips.

Watch Taylor’s TED Speech:

Watch news report when Taylor beat world records: