A teenager builds a “star in a jar,” the press crowds around, and a Geiger counter clicks to life. That single image threads through our journey as we follow young makers who pushed past textbooks to light plasma, register neutrons, and force adults to decide how far curiosity should go. We open with David Hahn, the infamous “Radioactive Boy Scout,” whose improvised neutron source triggered a federal cleanup and a lifelong cautionary tale about brilliance without guardrails. Then we turn to Taylor Wilson, who hit fusion at 14 and parlayed it into award-winning detectors, threat screening tools, and bold ideas for small reactors that could power communities for decades.
What emerges is a question about access and authority. When fellowships and big-money backers swoop in, is that rocket fuel for public good or a funnel into narrow security work? We examine the promises and politics behind small modular reactors, the gap between what’s technically possible and what policy allows, and the persistent mismatch between youthful idealism and the systems that shape where inventions land. Along the way, we celebrate practical ingenuity: Jamie Edwards gets his school to fund a fusor, builds safety layers you can touch, and learns to balance vacuum, voltage, and measurement. Cesar fights leaks, files metal by hand, and proves that constraints can sharpen thinking more than any lecture.
This story isn’t about hype; it’s about agency. The internet taught these kids enough to try. Local mentors and cautious schools helped them finish. Institutions—government, industry, and philanthropy—decided what happened next. If you care about clean energy, STEM education, or the ethics of open knowledge, these lives are a map of how innovation actually moves. Hear the sparks, weigh the tradeoffs, and decide with us: should the next breakthrough be gated, or guided?
If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review telling us where you’d draw the line between safety and openness.
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https://www.koco.com/article/karen-silkwood-nuclear-whistleblower-51-anniversary-death-oklahoma-kerr-mcgee-contamination/69416709
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn
https://helena.org/members/taylor-wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HL1BEC024g&t=638s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tAsHGFA-74
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/09/nuclear-fusion-young-scientist-jamie-edwards-star-in-jar
https://newsforkids.net/articles/2024/09/04/16-year-old-student-builds-nuclear-fusion-reactor/
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/1/12-year-old-boy-who-achieved-nuclear-fusion-in-his-playroom-got-visit-from-fbi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/karen-silkwoods-sudden-death-unpacked-abc-documentary/story?id=115778837

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