Superheroes and supervillains have been around for decades, fighting each other and using their super powers to destroy the world or save it. Humans dream of having these abilities, be it super strength, flight, super speed or telepathy… the list goes on.
We do have real live heroes in the world, yes, people who do brave deeds using nothing but their humanity, but there are also some super humans living amongst us. These people, like the X-Men, have genetic mutations that make them different, and make them special.
Das Uberboy: Super Strength
This German boy was born in 1999. What is so special about him? He was born with more muscle definition than his father! This is a genetic condition earlier seen in only cattle and mice. His body is missing a protein that regulates muscle growth. His real name and identity are not revealed but Das Uberboy is definitely counted as someone who has true super powers. He can lift four times the weight that anyone his age can. No one knows how his genetic condition will progress as he grows older, but for now he truly is ripped!
Michael Lotito: Can Eat Anything
This Frenchman ate a whole plane! It is true. It took him two years, but he did it. Monsieur Lotito’s digestive tract has a lining that is twice as thick as any normal person is and digestive juices that are more powerful. The result is that he can eat anything and digest it. 'Mr Eat-it-all' has consumed bicycles, television sets, glass, rubber you name it! His plane-eating feat put him in the Guinness Book of World Records and no one has broken his record yet.
Ngoc Thai: Super Insomnia
In 1973 Ngoc Thai from Vietnam got a high fever. He hasn’t slept a wink since then. One would wonder how he is functioning, but the doctors say that there are no side effects to his insomnia other than maybe some decreased liver function. He carries 50 kg bags of pig feed for 4 km every day and yet his tired body does not go to sleep. No sleeping pill or therapy works on him and poor Thai says he has “started to feel like a plant without water”.
Even though Ngoc has twice as much time as anyone else because he doesn’t spend any of it sleeping, this is one super power that does not merit getting jealous about.
Dave Mullins: Super Lungs
Mullins might as well be breathing under water, he can last for so long in there. This professional diver holds the world record in Dynamic Apnea. He has held his breath under water for 4 minutes and 11 seconds while swimming 218 metres.
He broke his record later by swimming 265 metres in a single breath, which took him 4 minutes 1 second. If this isn’t Aquaman then I don’t know who is!
Natasha Demkina: X-Ray Vision
Natasha Demkina claims she was 10 years old when she got her super power, of being able to see through skin. She can detect cysts, ulcers and fractures using just her eyes. Over the years Demkina has had believers and some critics, but she has done pretty amazing things. For instance, when she was taken for a checkup she told the doctor where all his scars from a previous car accident were. She has appeared on various TV shows and has gone through several tests to satisfy the curiosity of her detractors. She has not always passed these tests with flying colours but the hundreds of people she has helped over the years beg to differ. Well, super power or just a gimmick, Natasha Demkina is one of a kind.
Slavisa Pajkic: Electricity Conduction
Pajkic of Serbia is one handy person to have around when there is a power cut. He has conducted 20,000 volts of electricity through his body without getting harmed in any way. The Lord only knows what he was doing close to the electric fence that he touched as a kid, which is when he realised his super power.
He holds numerous world records for this ability. Pajkic can use the electricity to cook sausages and he can even heat water to 97 degrees in just under two minutes. “I can be an insulator, conductor, accumulator or heater,” says the Serbian.