Recently, there has been a primary school student with a passion for space who took an IQ test and scored higher than Einstein and Hawking.
Julian Delerio-Lees, only 10 years old at the time of taking the IQ test, scored a perfect 162, which is the highest score that can be achieved by an adult in an IQ test. He is currently the youngest member of Mensa, the genius club.
His IQ surpasses that of the physicist Albert Einstein and the black hole theorist Stephen Hawking, both of whom had IQ scores around 160.
At the age of 12, Julian attends the seventh grade at King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK. He aspires to follow in Hawking’s footsteps, expressing interest in astrophysics, space studies, and quantum physics. He finds black holes fascinating and draws inspiration from Hawking.
Julian stated that Hawking’s ideas captivate him and he wants to further explore Hawking’s theories to deepen humanity’s understanding of the universe. In 2022, Julian went to Birmingham to take the Mensa IQ test and found it “quite easy” afterwards.
He explained, “When I was 8, I wanted to take the test out of curiosity to see how many points I would get, but I waited a few more years. I thought the test was quite easy, you just have to look for patterns between rows and columns in the questions and consider all possibilities. Finding similarities usually leads to the answer.”
Apart from studying for exams or reading on quantum physics, he relaxes by playing games online with friends. He enjoys playing electronic games like “Fortnite”.
He said, “I have always loved math and physics, especially space. But I also love games, they don’t require intelligence, it’s just fun, especially when playing with friends.”
When his current computer’s memory wasn’t enough to meet the requirements of the games, Julian even assembled a computer by himself. His mother, 58-year-old Jane, a real estate broker, noticed his exceptional abilities, being able to solve complex math problems with ease.
She said, “He has been smart since he was young, with mature thinking. He has loved math since he was little, he treats anything related to math as entertainment.” Julian enjoys self-challenges and often brings math problems home to solve. She expressed amazement at his ability to handle these numbers in his head.
Julian wanted a computer stronger than an ordinary notebook, so he built a high-powered gaming computer. She said, “He made a shopping list, bought components on Amazon, assembled it by himself, and the computer runs normally. I couldn’t help him at all. He really can do these things on his own and enjoys the challenge.”
However, Julian’s greatest passion is science, his favorite subject being space, and he has a rich understanding. His mother said, “He can easily explain black holes and stars in depth. He wants to become a quantum and astrophysicist, he is very interested in these subjects and has many questions.” Julian’s fascination with space is profound, and his understanding of it is like a sponge.
His grandparents are both surgeons, and his father is adept in chemistry and mathematics. Jane described her son as being like them, enjoying challenges and tests, which reflects his love for competitive environments. Julian started studying GCSE courses a year ahead of his classmates and even wants to take Greek and Latin courses.
Jane mentioned, “I am really proud of him. What I am even more proud of is that he is a lovely child. He always gets high marks on his assignments, has his own homework days, and his own schedule, which is truly amazing.”