Sometimes, humanity outdoes itself. A child prodigy, aged 11, has become one of the youngest-ever college graduates after earning a bachelor's degree in physics from Belgium's University of Antwerp. Better yet, he did it in one year - two years ahead of everyone else.
Hailing from the Belgium city of Ostend, Laurent Simons earned greater distinction than other students after graduating with an astonishing 85 percent, in addition to completing the course in just one year, as opposed to the conventional three. Simons might have finished at an even younger age, but in 2019 he dropped out of the Netherlands' Eindhoven University at age nine. But only because officials refused to allow his graduation until he reached age 10 on December 26.
So, what does this child prodigy plan to do with his life? Well, it's nothing short of making us immortal. There is, of course, a reasonable chance that he may decide that's not a great idea but, in the meantime, he says: "This is the first puzzle piece in my goal of replacing body parts with mechanical parts. Immortality is my goal. I want to be able to replace as many body parts as possible with mechanical parts. I've mapped out a path to get there. You can see it as a big puzzle. Quantum physics - the study of the smallest particles - is the first piece of the puzzle."
Simons went on to say that acquiring and applying knowledge are his main objectives in life, the second of which will require that he work with the best professors the modern world has to offer. But, bizarrely, he also wants to "look inside their brains and find out how they think." The University of Antwerp confirmed his graduations and distinctions, saying: "Simons has been studying for his bachelor's degree in physics since March 2020, and he now graduated with 85%, which is the highest distinction," according to a spokesperson for Antwerp University, reports The Brussels Times.
No doubt we'll be hearing more of this young man in the not too distant future.
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