Who is the genius who made ​​the "a" in the magazine Nature in 15 years? That in a weekend, highlighted data that requires review of galaxy formation, or the existence of dark matter? ... Do not ask his classmates, Neil Ibata told no in person, to respect the embargo weekly science, set to 3 December.

The schoolboy prodigy is first scientific institution in Strasbourg. This week, he co-authored with a team from CNRS an article on Andromeda, the nearest giant galaxy us. We knew her surrounded by a disk composed of a multitude of dwarf galaxies. Neil was the first to show that these dwarfs are organized in a flat over a million light-years long, rotation disk itself.

His father, Rodrigo Ibata, is an astrophysicist at the Strasbourg Observatory and adolescents is quite permeable to science. At 6 years, both were playing together to apply the Pythagorean theorem for triangles ... "This summer I did an internship with my father to learn a programming language. On the eve of school on Saturday afternoon, he asked me if I wanted to develop a program to visualize the positions and rotation speeds of galaxies he had calculated. First it was a year of application of that he taught me, said Neil. The next evening, I had the solution. I used vectors being studied math ... My father, who guided me during these two days, as I observed that dwarf galaxies were well rotation around Andromeda. "And this is the discovery!

No "Eureka!" But for the young Neil, this Sunday evening, just the feeling of progress in the mastery of a programming language. "At the time, I did not measure the extent of my discovery. This is the Team My father told me all the implications of this new data, "recalls the teenager in the world.

In high school, the young man did not speak anything. "Unless my math teacher, because I had used knowledge of the discipline, " he says.

Neil - we suspected a little -. A good student, "has long been interested in science, " says his mother, "Even if I have my discovery to the 'beginner's luck', it makes me want to do research, "he says. He loves math, a little star, yet thinking of a career as a physicist. "Astrophysics is the domain of my father, it would not be good to be in his footsteps. As for math, I 'like, but as a tool. I did not want to do math for math, "he adds.

Warning, possible brain drain!

Neil is not seduced by the idea of ​​spending two years in preparatory classes. Sesame which authorizes France to integrate very good schools. "I did not decide, not decided, but this system does not really want me. I'm more attracted from the idea of working in groups on projects than spend my time alone in front of my books and homework, "he says to one year of enrollment in higher education.

He sees to Andromeda not afraid to consider "a university abroad." Especially the young person is bilingual in English and French, son of privilege scientists move, he also speaks German very well, having lived in Germany for some time.

While waiting for policy choices, Neil Ibata will present spring open competition version and Latin theme, but also in French. Science subjects, is for high school seniors "I think that this preparation will take me a little time, " he said, reluctantly. It must be said that work "45 minutes minutes each day" on his homework. A quarter of an hour more than last year. But obviously less than most high school students, yet do not necessarily arrive at 17 average a solicitor Neil.