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What do you think of child prodigies? Get to know four exceptional kid geniuses from around the world and marvel at their astounding talents and intellect.

Don't get us wrong. We love Barney Stinson. In fact, we think the show needs more of him and less of Ted Mosby. But if you were to ask us who our favorite Neil Patrick Harris character is, we would have to say Doogie Howser, kid physician slash computer diarist with an adorable mop of blonde hair. Why? Well, because we're getting a bit long in the tooth; and lately, we just can't resist indulging our nostalgic side. Also, we have a thing for fictional child prodigies such as Artemis Fowl, Jimmy Neutron, Matilda, Kazuo Kiriyama, and so on. But of course, as fun as it is exploring the lives of fictional wunderkinds, we know that they can't compare to the real deal. And so without further ado, let us take a look at some of the world's most interesting child geniuses in recent history so we can collectively scratch our heads and wonder how their parents were able to hatch them.

Akrit Jaswal

You know, as much as we love Doogie, we can't help but admit that Akrit Jaswal has him beat. For one thing, Jaswal, who's only 20 years old today, performed his first surgery when he was just seven. Akrit was also said to be writing and reading (Shakespeare, no less!) at age two. As for his theories regarding oral gene therapy – he's very much interested in finding a cure for cancer – well, he started talking about that when he was five. So yes, he's not just an early developer, he's the real McCoy with an estimated IQ of 146.

Colin Carlson

Honestly, as toddlers we didn't do much except be cute and do the usual toddler-y things. Colin Carlson, on the other hand, taught himself how to read, which might explain why he was able to graduate from Stanford University Online High School when he was just 11 years old. But he didn't stop there. By the age of 13, Carlson was enrolled at the University of Connecticut, where he was studying ecology, evolutionary biology, and another course in environmental studies. It has also been reported that Colin wants to earn a degree in environmental law when he hits 22.

Saffron Pledger

Pop quiz, hotshot! Who's the youngest member of Mensa? If you say "Saffron Pledger", you would be wrong; but you're not too far off the mark. You see, five-year-old Saffron has an IQ score of 140 (they found out when she was just 3). According to reports, Pledger is "able to write, read, count up to 50 and solve simple mathematics." Of course, it remains to be seen if Saffron will change the world with her smarts; although personally, we would like it very much if she dedicates herself to the tech world – maybe focus on revolutionizing business phone systems or being the next David Karp.

Jacob Barnett

It's a bit hard to define who a genius is or should be beyond ascertaining IQ scores. But for Jacob Barnett, who has been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism when he was 2 years old, prodigy takes on a whole new meaning to include overcoming the odds. You see, after that diagnosis, the doctors told Jacob's parents that he "would likely never talk or read and would probably be forever unable to independently manage basic daily activities like tying his shoe laces." It's a good thing Jacob wasn't affected by all that and managed to stay on the path to awesomeness by going to IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)at the age of eight, taking advanced astrophysics classes, challenging the Big Bang theory, and working hard to expand Einstein's theory of relativity.

Author Bio  
Monique Jones is an Engineer who deals with telephone systems. Besides being an Engineer, she also works as a part time writer. She helps her colleagues and other people about their communication issues, giving effective solutions to address their needs.