Nopal has been growing for centuries in the arid climates of Latin America, but most people know it only as a cactus with annoying spines. What few people know is that its active compounds have been studied for their ability to regulate blood glucose, reduce obesity, and, in more recent research, inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Valeska Faúndez and Emilia Pedrero, students at the Bicentenario High School of San Nicolás, in Chile, decided that those properties could not remain locked away in scientific articles. Together with their teacher Valentina García, they spent two years turning the benefits of nopal into something anyone can consume without thinking twice: an edible gummy. Simple, accessible, and scientifically backed.
The result was so solid that the project accumulated awards at national science fairs and earned them an international accreditation. They will now represent Chile at the Genius Olympiad 2026, in Rochester, United States, one of the most prestigious school science competitions in the world. 🌵
