In a leap forward for astronomy, a researcher has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm and discovered more than one million objects in space by parsing through understudied data from a NASA telescope.

The breakthrough is detailed in a study published in November in The Astronomical Journal. What the study doesn't detail, however, is that the paper's sole author is 18 years old.

Matteo Paz from Pasadena, California, recently won the first place prize of $250,000 in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search for combining machine learning with astronomy. Self-described as the nation's "oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors," the contest recognized Paz for developing his A.I. algorithm.