10 Child Prodigies We Want To Hate But Can't

Warning: unless you can cure cancer or recently sold a multi-million dollar app to Yahoo, this post may ruin your day.

1. The 15-Year-Old Cancer Researcher

Jake Andraka has discovered a way to test for pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer that is 168 times faster and 26,000 times cheaper than the options currently available on the market. He also seems like a really nice kid. Grrr.

2. The 16-Year-Old PhD Student

Tesca Fitzgerald started her college degree at the age of 12 and is about to begin a PhD in interactive computing and cognitive science at the tender age of 16. Oh yeah, and she can build robots. It's pretty impossible to hate a chick that builds robots.

3. The 17-Year-Old Entrepreneur

Earlier this year, British teenager Nick D'Aloisio sold his popular news reading app, Summly, to Yahoo Inc. for a cool $30 million. That's more money than you, your siblings, your great-uncle Charlie, and your impressively unphotogenic cat will earn in a lifetime. Depressed yet?

4. The 5-Year-Old Pool Prodigy

Think you're pretty handy with a pool cue after a few beers? Take a look at pint-sized prodigy Keith O'Dell and think again...

5. The 6-Year-Old Pianist

Even though he can barely reach the pedals, Chinese pianist Tsung Tsung plays a mean 'Flight of the Bumblebee.' And he manages to pull off a white tux. Watch his performance on Ellen and be grudgingly impressed.

6. The 9-Year-Old Artist

At an age when most of us were still churning out stick figures and finger paintings, Kieron Williamson had his own art exhibition. Last year, he sold 24 of his paintings in 15 minutes for a grand total of $386,000. And before you start muttering about fools and their money, take a look at some of the little tyke's masterpieces. They're not half bad.

7. The 10-Year-Old Classical Singer

At the tender age of ten, classical singer Jackie Evancho was the runner-up on NBC's America's Got Talent. Now she's a washed-up 13-year-old alcoholic, right? Erm, not exactly. She's currently touring the US performing songs from her fourth full-length album. Still, I'm sure you rocked it at that karaoke bar last weekend.

8. The 7-Year-Old Surgeon

Indian native Akrit Jaswal has been a surgeon since the tender age of seven, when he successfully worked on the hand of a young burn victim who couldn't afford a doctor. With an IQ of 146, it probably isn't surprising that he went on to become the youngest person ever admitted to a medical university in India. Jaswal's dream is to cure cancer. He probably saves orphaned puppies too.

9. The 14-Year-Old Chess Grandmaster

Caruana became the youngest ever chess Grandmaster in the history of both Italy and the United States in 2007 at the age of 14. You can try to hate him, but he says things like "I want to be happy and bring joy to my friends and family." Awwww.

10. The 7-Year-Old Agony Aunt

If all these high-flying kids have made you feel horribly depressed about your life, why not call Elaina Smith for a quick pep talk? The straight-talking schoolgirl became the world's youngest agony aunt in 2009 when she called into a local radio station to advise a listener who wanted to dump her boyfriend. British station Mercia FM were so impressed, they gave her a weekly slot. Among Smith's gems is the advice she gave to a depressed single about how to get a man - "Shake your booty on the dance floor and listen to High School Musical". Priceless.