Stephen Litt has been conducting science experiments since he was in first grade. Every year, the projects became more and more complicated — until finally, as a 7th grader, he came across something that gained national attention.

The 12-year-old boy from Marietta, Georgia, discovered evidence that chemicals in green tea may have cancer-fighting potential.

For this year’s science fair project, he tested epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant in green tea, to determine whether it could prevent breast cancer tumors in planaria, a type of flatworms.

The research, which was part of his award-winning project for the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, earned the boy praise from scientists across the country. He was even invited to go on a private tour of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University while on spring break in Boston two weeks ago. (Follow the complete story… )