At age 2, Jacob Barnett’s parents wondered if he would ever speak, but today the 12-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome is mastering graduate level physics with ease.

Barnett, whose IQ tops the charts at 170, dropped out of fifth grade after whizzing through high school math in just two weeks and now takes college courses at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He’s currently working on a new theory of relativity and actively questions the legitimacy of the big-bang theory.

Others are taking note of Barnett’s work, suggesting that if the pre-teen is able to successfully prove his theories, he could be in the running for the Nobel Prize.

In the meantime, Barnett frequently helps his much older classmates solve tough problems. And his professors say there’s not much more they can teach the young prodigy who’s poised to move into a paid research position of his own.

The outcome could not be more surprising to Barnett’s mom, Kristine, who says she failed math as a youngster and once worried that her son would never be able to say “I love you,” reports The Indianapolis Star. To read more click here.

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