Actually it looks some work was done and made the wrong finding , but there was serepindity involved in finding a new thesis along the way:
> (student sample) contained a strain of bacteria called Pseudomonas idahonensis. The students interpreted the
> bacterium's bioassay data and concluded it had antibiotic activity and produced a never-before-seen compound.
> Then, the university researchers determined the compound's molecular structure using nuclear magnetic
> resonance and mass spectrometry, named it orfamide N after the family of molecules it belongs to, and investigated its biological activity. Although orfamide N was not responsible for the antibiotic activity that the team initially observed from P. idahonensis, the compound inhibited the growth of human melanoma and ovarian cancer cells in culture tests.
So if i read the above correctly, it seems like the students identified a new compound to do A, scientists took that new compound and tested for A, then after scientists realized it did B instead of A.
I think you’re right that it’s “weird” for most folks that age.
That said, folks with good parents/mentors/coaches will be properly humble, realizing that they basically achieved table stakes for “playing the game” (literal or figurative) at the next level.
In sports, I think the Mannings in general and Arch Manning in particular have been kept properly grounded despite a great deal of fanfare over anything they did.
In academics, I have seen quite a few professor’s kids who are keenly aware that early achievements that are sometimes celebrated by a wide audience will eventually be just one brick in the wall of their career.
I think being a student and seeing your name on the resulting paper is a big part of the encouragement and excitement.