Growing up, we’re told that if you put your mind to something and work hard, you can accomplish anything.

And while that sounds good, it’s pretty hard not to feel like a complete idiot when you hear about some kid performing surgeries at age 7. At 7 years old, most of us were by baffled by how to prevent brain freeze when eating ice cream.

So keep telling yourself that you’re proud of your accomplishments and that you really are successful, because after you read about these 5 child prodigies, you might not feel quite as smart.

1. William James Sidis—Many believe William James Sidis to be the smartest person of all time. There are rumors that his IQ was somewhere between 250 to 300. To put that in perspective, the average IQ is supposed to be between 90 and 109. Genius IQ is considered to start around 140.

So what did William James Sadis do as a child prodigy? For starters, he could read at just 18 months. He’d already written 4 books and was able to speak 8 languages fluently before he was 8 years old. He even gave a seminar at Harvard on the 4th dimension at age 9. He later attended Harvard at the old age of 11.

2. Kim Ung-yong—Kim Ung-Yong is considered by many to be the smartest man living today. Born in 1962, the former child prodigy is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ” with a score of 210.

The Korean genius entered university as a physics student when he was just 3 years old. He could do complex calculus equations and speak numerous languages while other kids his age were still trying to figure out how to tie their shoes. He eventually came over to the U.S. when he was invited to study and help NASA.

3.William Rowan Hamilton—How many languages can you speak right now? 1? Maybe 2? As a teenager, William Rowan Hamilton knew 14 languages. 14! Considering the average professional athlete can barely put together a logical sentence, that’s pretty impressive. Later in life, he developed the mathematical theory of quaternions, an important part of algebra.

4. Akrit Jaswal—Some call him the real life Doogie Howser. We call him another impressive child prodigy that makes us feel like complete idiots. Akrit Jaswal has the highest IQ of any boy his age in all of India. At age 7, he was actually performing surgeries, and now, he’s working on new theories to find a cure for cancer. Genius? Yes. But would we want the kid operating on us? Probably not.

5. Gregory Smith—At age 2, Gregory Smith was already reading. By age 10, he was enrolled in college. And at age 12, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Yes, that Nobel Peace Prize. He lost out to Jimmy Carter, but it doesn’t change the fact that the guy is a genius. And lucky for us, he’s decided to put his intelligence to good use, founding an advocacy group promoting peace among young kids.

Also see:
Meet Victoria Cowie, The Girl With IQ Higher Than Einstein and Hawking's
Adora Svitak: The 'Dora the Explorer' In The Real World

Ever wondered what it feels like to be pregnant? Now even men can find out thanks to a new dress created by Takuya Iwamoto from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and his team that simulates the weight, temperature, movement and heartbeat of a fetus (see video below).

The device can replicate the 9-month long process in two minutes or it can be worn for a longer period to experience what it feels like day-to-day. To mimic the fetus, it contains a 4-litre bag filled with warm water. Kicking movement is recreated with a lining of 45 balloons that expand and contract. But wiggling is more complex to reproduce and requires a grid of air actuators that exploit a tactile illusion. When two vibrating sources placed a distance apart move at the same time, it triggers a sensation in between the two points. So by varying vibrating pairs over time, the simulated fetus seems to squirm.

The system also contains an accelerometer and touch sensors to allow for interaction. When the suit is connected to a computer, software displays a 3D model of the fetus that changes to mimic different stages of pregnancy. The fetus on the screen appears to be in a good mood when a wearer strokes their abdomen and makes steady movements. But if the person moves around vigorously, it will trigger more intense motion.

The team hopes the system will help men better to understand what a woman goes through during pregnancy. It offers a more realistic simulation than existing systems by reproducing the temperature and movement of the fetus.

The work will be presented in August at Siggraph 2011 in Vancouver, Canada.

Remember the beginning of Waterworld, where a grizzled Kevin Costner peed into a coffee can, filtered it, and proceeded to drink his own urine? Well apparently we've already leapfrogged that bit of post-apocalyptic technology in favor of making steaks out of human waste. A team of Japanese scientists has developed a way to transform human feces into edible steaks. By extracting the proteins from human waste and combining them with a reaction enhancer, the resulting product is "meat" that's 63% proteins, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids and 9% minerals. For aesthetic (and culinary) reasons, the product is then dyed red and the flavor is enhanced with soy protein.

The following video explains the process in greater detail, although it's hard not to get sidetracked by the scientist's ridiculous (and eerily lifelike) pointer apparatus.



As of now the human waste meat is approximately 10 to 20 times more expensive than traditional meat, thanks mostly to the ludicrously high research costs. However, the team hopes it can eventually be priced right on par with normal steaks, offering consumers a way to be more environmentally responsible with their meat consumption, eschewing their regular purchase of New York Steak for the far more sustainable Poo York variety.

People came to South Wales from all over the globe to take part in the world skinny-dipping record on Rhossili Beach, Gower.

They tore off their clothes shortly before 8am and bravely ran into the water shrieking and whooping with delight seemingly unperturbed by the wet and wind conditions.


But their cries of joy were replaced by ooohs and aaahs once their naked bodies entered into the icy sea temperature.

Skinny dipper Lizzy White, 25, said: 'I have flown in from Australia via Brazil to take part - what was I thinking of?

'But it was great fun and very exhilarating to strip off and dive into the waves, even if they are a lot colder than what I'm used to.'

Shivering first-time skinny dipper Steve Absalom, 29, said: 'I'm quite shy and I have never swam naked before so to do it in front of 400 people was a bit of an eye-opener.

'But there was no embarrassment - it was just great fun.

'The dash from the shoreline into the waves was the hardest bit but once you are in the water - what the hell!

'I’m very proud to have helped to set the new world record - it is something I will be able to tell my grandchildren.'

Organisers of the event said their challenge had to be verified by Guinness but they believe they have smashed the previous record of 250 skinny-dippers.


Spokeswoman Alison Powell said: 'It was great fun - I have never seen so many happy smiling faces.

'We hoped for 300 people but in the end we got a lot more - I'm delighted with the turn out.'

Organisers are hoping the sponsored skinny-dip will raise more than £5,000 for the Marie Curie cancer charity.

And many of the nudists posed to have their photographs taken in the shallows to prove to their sponsors that they took part in the event.

Naked Sue Jones, 39, of Carmarthen, said: 'I'm putting my picture on Facebook for all to see.

'I've skinny-dipped before in Greece and Spain. This was the first time in Wales ... and the last!'

This Sunday, fathers and daughters everywhere will be spending quality time together talking about important life issues, reminiscing about stories from childhood, and waxing poetic about the future. While we highly encourage dad/daughter bonding, we’ve compiled this handy list of awkward conversations you may want to avoid if you plan on having a pleasant holiday with dad. After the jump, some unapproved conversation topics this Father’s Day.

1. How much you hate your stepmother/step-siblings. Even if you really do hate your new family so much you want to scream it from the rooftop, try to pretend like you don’t for just one day.

2. How heavy your flow has been lately. Any conversation where your vagina is involved is TMI for dad.

3. The story of your conception. Visa versa, any story where your dad’s penis is involved, even if it in the context of your creation, is TMI for you.

4. Your wild and crazy sex life. New addition to your sex toy collection? The guy you’re dating gave you a facial last night? You occasionally like to fool around with women? That’s wild and crazy! Congrats! But don’t tell dad.

5. That thing your therapist said about him. Dad may be to blame for the abandonment issues you are currently unpacking in therapy, but he doesn’t need to hear about it on Father’s Day. So basically, you may want to wait to share that cutting observation about him being a narcissist that your therapist made last session.

6. How bad you used to be. If dad didn’t already figure out how often you snuck out of the house when you were a teenager, where you hid your pot, or about that time you took his car out for a joyride when you were 14, no need to tell him now. Let him continue thinking you are perfect.

7. The things about him that are total dealbreakers for you in a relationship. “Hey dad, I steer clear of men with financial issues because I saw how much it affected your and mom’s marriage.” No, no, no.

8. The story of how you lost your V-card. You are still a virgin as far as your father is concerned, let’s keep it that way, shall we?

9. If/when dad cheated on mom. You may suspect or maybe you know he cheated. Maybe your dad is Arnold Schwarzenegger and you have a new brother to prove it. Still ... avoid, avoid, avoid.

10. That secret abortion your sister had. This is not your secret to share. That is item number one on your sister’s unapproved conversation list. Stop copying everything she does.

Welcome to The Destruction Company - where wealthy youngsters pay big bucks to use weapons and tools to destroy objects such as computers and pianos.

The members then visit the club's warehouse and roof top space to don protective clothing and destroy the object bit by bit.

Based at a secret location in New Jersey the club has just opened and its membership is already swelling - mostly with young heirs and heiresses and wealthy bankers.

The club says 40 per cent of the membership are female - proving that women are also keen to let off stress with a weapon and inanimate object.


A spokesman for the club said: 'Our message to our members is very clear: "It is okay to destroy things". This is not about violence, but the art of destruction.

'Many of our clients are high earning city workers. A lot of the inquiries we get by email have addresses ending with names such as Morgan Stanley.

'People can only join if an existing member invites them and we have them in for a session, to get to know them before deciding whether they can become a member.

'Only around 60 per cent of our membership is male, and we have many female clients. It all takes place in a controlled, safe environment.

'We have had some odd requests - someone wants to smash a Ferrari and one lady destroyed all her ex husband's suits.

'One common theme is technology such as computers, lap tops and iPads - there seems to be a desire out there to smash them.'



The Destruction Company is now open in New Jersey and is hoping to expand its business to Los Angeles and London.

Members pay an undisclosed annual fee to enjoy regular smashing sessions and they also pay the cost of what they destroy each time.

Inside the warehouse is an array of weapons, a 'menu' of items to smash, and hangers full of protective clothing from leather boots to hockey pads.

Members pick what they want to destroy which is them brought into the open space - before they select a weapon and begin smashing it apart.

The smashing - either individually or in group sessions - is filmed on camera so members can visit a control room and watch back footage of themselves in action.

All members sign a legal waiver and as in the film 'Fight Club' there are rules: no firearms can be used, no living things or paperwork can be destroyed, and no alcohol or drugs.

Members pay an annual fee plus the cost of what is destroyed during each session - with prices ranging from $10 (set of plates), baby grand piano ($2,000), to cars costing over $100,000.

The spokesman said: 'I think people are using the club for different reasons. Some want to let off steam, some want to shed executive stress.

'Some people want a bit of revenge on the technology that rules their lives and some think it's just a great work out.

'To others it has a real primeval appeal. We are not endorsing violence, we are giving people the chance to fee free. Sometimes it really is okay to destroy things.'

A unique cultural park made entirely out of clay has recently been open to the public, in Tangshan City, China.