Marshall Zhang is sixteen, and he used a supercomputer to figure out how two compounds act against the defective protein that causes cystic fibrosis. In fact, he discovered the compounds are more promising than thought, since they act on different parts of the protein, meaning they could be used simultaneously. Then he used them on living cells, and discovered they were more effective than thought.
We’re not entirely sure why we’re jealous of this kid: for achieving more than us at an age when we were still mastering all the cars on “Twisted Metal”, or for having access to supercomputer and living cells to experiment on in high school. We got to cut open a dead piglet soaked in formaldehyde to find its kidneys, this kid actually gets to potentially help people.
It’s not a magic bullet, and Zhang has pretty modestly pointed out that all he’s really done is demonstrate using the compounds is possible. But worst case scenario, he’s helped determine possible treatment paths and advanced our understanding of a painful, fatal disease. So, good for him, and he can officially spend his adulthood drinking beer and sitting around the house if he wants to. What’s his mom going to do? Guilt trip him about what he’s done with his life?
By the way, second place was some kids from Montreal who came up with a method to make sorbet without using gelatin. They’re still sending these poor kids to the finals, where they and the US and Australian teams will have to explain how whatever they wasted their time on was better than the kid who did professional grade medical research.
Well, at least they’ll learn a valuable lesson in disappointment. Now, time to work on our Mr. Grimm techniques.
[ via the teenage wunderkinds at LiveScience ]