THE REAL ICE MAN
Using the Buddhist meditation technique Tummo, Dutch daredevil Wim Hof keeps his body temperature steady while enduring extremely cold conditions. Hof, whose feats have earned him the nickname Iceman, has completed several marathons and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in sub-freezing temperatures wearing only shorts. Hof holds twenty cold-endurance world records, including, at one hour, 13 minutes and 48 seconds, the record for the longest ice bath.
The French Spider-Man
If you thought that the only way to harness the powers of Spider-Man was to endure a radioactive spider bite—think again. 54-year-old Alain Robert, also known as the “French Spider-Man,” is famous for his spine-chilling feats in urban climbing. Without any safety equipment to keep him from falling, Robert hoists himself hundreds of feet into the sky, scaling multistorey buildings in broad daylight. Among his death-defying accents, Robert has climbed the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Canada Square tower, the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
Although urban climbing is not technically illegal, Robert has been arrested over 100 times for trespassing and causing public disturbances. Most recently, the thrill-seeker was arrested after successfully summiting a skyscraper in London, the 662-feet-tall, 46-story Heron Tower. Though Robert flirts with death each time that he mounts a slippery, sleek building, he takes comfort in the knowledge that he is pursuing his passion—and using his superpowers to do so. There might be a hidden superpower lurking in everyone:
Super Baby
In 1999, a baby was born in Germany that wowed nurses and doctors. Instead of the usual mushy baby fat, Uberboy, as he’s come to be called, sported ripped muscles. The tot’s amazing physique was caused by a genetic disorder that eliminates the myostatin gene, which limits muscle development. The boy’s identity has been closely guarded, however there are reports that at five years old, he could hold 7 lbs in each hand with his arms outstretched—a feat reportedly difficult for the average adult. Other members of his family also are known to exhibit excessive strength, including his grandfather who is said to be able to lift 330 lbs paving stones single handedly.
The Real Aquaman
New Zealander Dave Mullins is capable of swimming underwater for not only record amount of time, but also record distance. In September 2007, Mullins shattered his own record when he swam underwater for 4 minutes 2 seconds, swimming a total distance of 244 meters with a single breath.
Mullins, whose specialty is free diving, set a New Zealand record in April 2008 when he dove 108 meters with no oxygen tank or specialized equipment. He’s only the fifth man in New Zealand to reach a depth of 100 meters.
Mullins trains his muscles to work while deprived of oxygen. This allows him to swim further and longer, but also leads to a build-up of lactic acid in his leg muscles. After a record-breaking swim, Mullins requires a few days of recovery, but he’s still pretty super.
X-ray Vision Girl
Natasha Demkina developed an interesting hobby when she was 10 years old. She found that she could scan her mother’s body and describe in intimate detail the location and condition of all of her mom’s organs. News soon spread and her neighbours in her hometown of Saransk, in Western Russia, began showing up at her doorstep for body scans and diagnoses.
The local children’s hospital decided to test her abilities and the girl was able to draw a diagram of one doctor’s stomach with a dark area in the exact spot of his ulcer. She also contested the cancer diagnosis of one patient; later tests supported Demkina’s diagnosis of a benign cyst.
In England, “x-ray” scans of another doctor led Demkina to describe multiple injuries that one of the doctors had received in a severe car crash without any knowledge of the accident, and the doctor was fully clothed! Obviously, Natasha’s abilities have been questioned.
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