![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LiamScicne1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLiam Desre, 14, taught himself astrophysics\u00a0<\/p>\n
How does a kid come up with an explanation of the universe that\u2019s never been thought of before?\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Liam Desre, it came from not letting his age or lack of experience get in the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the time, I forgot I was 14 and tried to treat myself like a real astrophysicist,\u201d the Grade 9 student from Kingston, Ontario, told CBC Kids News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For years, Liam spent countless hours in his bedroom teaching himself about the cosmos, math, and computer programming to try to answer a question that has long puzzled scientists.<\/p>\n
Last month, he presented his findings at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta, earning him the top prize \u2014 the Best Project Discovery award.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said he hopes his project will help astrophysicists better understand our ever-expanding universe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fuelled by sibling rivalry\u00a0<\/p>\n
Making credible theories in astrophysics takes a pretty advanced understanding of math and science \u2014 knowledge that typically requires a university degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So how did Liam do it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he was in Grade 6, his older sister was already in university studying computer science and math.<\/p>\n
He started reading her textbooks to see if he could grasp course material before she could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started with rivalry, but then I just dug so much deeper into it because I wanted to learn more about the universe, something that is amazing,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It typically takes many years for a person to learn the advanced mathematics and physics that make up the foundation of the universe. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team)<\/p>\n
Two years later, his Grade 8 biology teacher noticed Liam had a deep interest in math and physics and encouraged him to enter the science fair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when he started exploring his award-winning concept.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cosmic expansion<\/p>\n
For years now, scientists have observed that the universe is expanding, and that that expansion is getting faster and faster over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many scientists think something called dark energy is the force driving that acceleration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey believe there\u2019s a uniform energy throughout the universe that doesn\u2019t interact with light and can’t be observed, and that’s why they named it dark,\u201d said Liam.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The problem is, that inability to observe dark energy means scientists still don\u2019t know what it is, \u00a0leading some to wonder if something else could be behind the expansion.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LiamScience3.png\")
<\/p>\n
This NASA illustration shows the expansion of the universe from the Big Bang to present day, including when expansion started to accelerate roughly 10 billion years in. (Image credit: NASA)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Using black holes instead<\/p>\n
Liam’s big idea was to try to see if black holes \u2014 rather than dark energy \u2014 could provide clues to what\u2019s behind the acceleration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI read a book called the Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind, and it talked about how we could use our knowledge of black holes to understand other realms of physics,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During his spare time in Grade 8, Liam looked at the math behind black holes and tried to find parallels with the structure of the larger universe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/LiamScience2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Black holes are created under specific conditions when stars, like our sun, explode. They\u2019re points in spacetime where gravity is so strong that even light can\u2019t escape.(Image credit; NASA)<\/p>\n
He did it all alone, determined to explore his theory without any outside mentoring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see my math making more and more sense over time,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But once the math was done, Liam then had to spend many more months teaching himself computer programming in order to even test his mathematical model.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I finally ran the computer simulation, I found it agreed to what we observe in the universe to around 93 per cent,\u201d he said. \u201cI was like, \u2018Wow, this is insane.'”<\/p>\n
Sharing his findings<\/p>\n
Liam\u2019s findings are a complicated thing to explain.<\/p>\n
But put simply, he found that certain properties of black holes did map onto the larger universe.<\/p>\n
His model suggests a physics principle called entropy could be the driver of cosmic expansion, rather than dark energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Liam_ScienceFair.png\")
<\/p>\n
After years of teaching himself astrophysics, Liam shared his findings at Canada\u2019s biggest and most prestigious science fair this year. \u00a0(Image submitted by Liam Desre)<\/p>\n
After showing his findings at a regional science fair, Liam qualified for the national, Canada-wide science fair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was one of 390 finalists from across Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But with so much impressive competition, he didn\u2019t think a top prize was in the cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought highly of my project, but never thought I\u2019d win best of fair. It just seemed impossible. When I saw the other projects, I was like, \u2018Yeah, no way I\u2019m winning that,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Needless to say, when his name was called as the winner of the main prize, it was a shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just insane,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Reni Barlow, the executive director of Youth Science Canada, told CBC Kids News that it was well-deserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe set out to answer one of the hardest questions that exists,\u201d Barlow told CBC Kids News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo not only wrap your head around the theoretical basis of things like black holes, but to also manage the advanced math in a credible way, it was remarkable,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For his win, Liam was offered several university scholarships and a prize of around $700, which he plans to use to buy more advanced textbooks.<\/p>\n
He said his next steps are preparing for an even bigger science fair \u2014 the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which takes place in Germany in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\ufeff\ufeffHave more questions? \ufeffWant to tell us how we’re doing? Use the \u201csend us feedback\u201d link below. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
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