Superpowers have been the main theme of stories, mythologies, and epic sagas throughout the ages. But just as often throughout the ages, there have been accounts of human superpowers that go beyond any framework of reasonable explanation.
People have always been interested in revealing the secrets behind human superpowers. You may think that our advances in technology, science, and medicine have the answers to unlock the mysteries that baffle the minds of those who witness, study, and are the physical actors of such superhuman phenomena that we call superpowers.
There exist examples of humans with abilities that can be regarded as “superpowers.” The following examples reveal three such examples that have unique and real superpowers that can be repeatedly displayed to scientists, but that remain unexplainable to this day.
Laurence Kim Peek: The superpowers behind the real ‘Rain Man’
In the 1988 movie Rain Man, the lead character named Raymond Babbit is autistic, has savant syndrome, and adheres to strict routines. While the disorder impairs him socially, his ability to remember things is super heightened. The character in the movie is able to remember countless statistics, dates, and events in a super photogenic manner.
Laurence Kim Peek had savant syndrome and possessed an exceptional memory. He was also the inspiration for the character Raymond Babbitt. Although Peek was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and severe intellectual disability, he is now thought to have had FG syndrome.
Memorization superpowers
Peek was able to memorize events before he could walk. He could speed through a book in about an hour and remember everything he had read. He memorized vast amounts of information in a wide range of subjects, including history, literature, science, geography, sports, and music, as well as all their relevant statistics and dates.
At the time of his death in 2009, he could accurately recall the contents of at least 12,000 books. Compared to normal people, Peek’s abilities were a superpower.
Dean Karnazes: An ultramarathoner with superpowers
The next individual with superpowers we explore is the ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes.
Dean Karnazes is a professional long-distance running athlete from the United States. Among his many accomplishments, he has run 50 marathons in all 50 U.S. states in 50 consecutive days. He’s run across Death Valley in the middle of summer, and he’s run a marathon to the South Pole. On 10 separate occasions, he’s run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of 12.
Metabolism superpowers
The vitals of his body indicated that his body’s metabolism hardly got challenged by his extreme feats.
Medical professionals tested the lactate levels of Kanazais, as lactate levels rise when our muscles are used during any athletic performance. A normal person, under the circumstances that Karnazes endured, would have shown incredibly high levels of lactate, which would indicate that the muscles were being overworked. But even during the peak of his performance, his lactate levels did not rise.
None of the researchers who observed, documented, and analyzed the data have an explanation for Dean Karnazes’s superpower of extreme endurance.
But like many incredible feats, there are also critics who question the validity of his feats. Some critics claim that a lot of what Karnanzes accomplished is not as spectacular as it is being made to seem.
However, fellow ultramarathoner John Morelock defended Karnazes, saying: “Karnazes was not a racer, just a very good performer.” Morelock believed that the criticism was created by the general public’s unfamiliarity with ultra-running, and an “underestimation of the mental-physical endurance required.”
Michel Lotito: ‘Mr. Eat All’
There are people in the world who are capable of absorbing metal objects. One of them even performed this ability for the Guinness Book of World Records. Michel Lotito, otherwise known as Monsieur Mangetout (Mr. Eat All), actually ate an entire airplane.
While Monsieur Mangetout may not have eaten a Boeing 747, he did still eat a whopping 9 tons of metal. The plane of choice was a Cessna 150. He was able to consume the aircraft over a period of two years between 1978 and 1980. Other notable items he ate throughout his career include bicycles, shopping carts, beds, chandeliers, television sets, a small section of the Eiffel tower, and a coffin.
Physical superpowers
Under normal circumstances, the consumption of metal and glass (Monsieur Mangetout’s specialty) would be very dangerous and difficult to digest. However, doctors noted that he had a very thick lining around his stomach and intestines, giving him the superpower to consume items like no one else.
No matter how advanced science seemingly has become, the world never fails to be mystified by the countless phenomena that people regard as superpowers!
