Could these students provide the science breakthroughs of the future?

By Nell Lewis, for CNN

Updated 1126 GMT (1926 HKT) January 25, 2018

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The Science Talent Search is not your average science fair. Conducted by the Society for Science and the Public since 1942, its US-wide search for the brightest students has seen 13 future Nobel Laureates pass through the competition. Scroll through the gallery to discover more about them.
Photos: Science Talent Search: Nobel-winning alumni
The Science Talent Search is not your average science fair. Conducted by the Society for Science and the Public since 1942, its US-wide search for the brightest students has seen 13 future Nobel Laureates pass through the competition. Scroll through the gallery to discover more about them.
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Winner of the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1972/cooper-bio.html" target="_blank">Nobel Prize in Physics</a> in 1972, Leon Cooper took part in the Science Talent Search in 1947 and was a finalist for his project on penicillin-resistant bacteria. He received the highest award in physics for jointly developing the theory of superconductivity, when some metals, when cooled, exhibit zero electrical resistance.