A little teasing from peers can inspire genius. Just ask 17-year old Fred Turner, a British dark-haired teen who sought to put an end to speculation that he and his red-haired brother had different fathers.

To end the teasing once and for all, the young innovator spent a year building a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine in his bedroom at the relatively low cost of $622. His analyzer succeeded not only in affirming his blood ties to his brother, but earned him the UK young engineer of 2013 award.

The homemade DNA analyzer underscores advances in gene sequencing technology and the falling costs of sequencing a base pair. Turner shares more about his bedroom innovation in the video below.