Awakening your own superpowers: Science or fiction?

Thanks to genetics or through training, even normal people can develop superpowers .

Super powers are real in life. We can't grow giant claws like Wolverine in the sci-fi movie X-Men or shoot energy beams from our eyes like Cyclops, but the human body and brain have the potential to perform many battles. supernatural merit.

Sometimes superpowers appear through genetic mutations . Typically, the Sherpa people in the Himalayas have adapted to high altitudes thanks to genes that help increase body strength and endurance.

The Bajau people of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have developed the genetic ability to use oxygen more efficiently. This makes them excellent free divers, "nomads" in the ocean, able to dive for up to 4 minutes without the need for any respiratory support equipment.

Super powers are real in life.

We can completely do other super powers. Intellectual players demonstrate amazing memorization achievements that make us wonder how they can perform such superhuman feats.

Even fear can be conquered with the right conditions, in the story of climber Alex Honnold, who has been compared to Spider-Man for his ability to scale steep rock walls without ropes. support rope.

Scientists began to learn what was going on inside the bodies and minds of people with these abilities. They discovered that, while genes give some people an advantage, most have untapped potential.

These are just a few examples of the superheroes that lurk in our bodies.

Overcome fear

For most people, just looking at the photo of Alex Honnold dangling from a cliff with just his finger is enough to make the brain tremble with fear.

When researchers scanned his brain, they discovered something surprising. Honnold's image analysis of activity in the amygdala - the brain region related to fear - was completely silent.

Structurally, his brain was completely normal, Honnold had long denied that he was fearless.

Neuroscientist, Jane Joseph, examined Alex Honnold's brain activity and revealed that he self-limited certain brain activities by focusing on the meticulous execution of each action. mountain climbing?

It's a superpower we can all harness. Psychologists use similar conditioning methods to help people overcome fear, and neuroscience is revealing how fear memories are created and can be erased.

Resilience

Genetics and physiology researcher, Tatum Simonson, University of California (USA), said: "Humans are still evolving" , and the Sherpa people  in Nepal are a perfect example of developing superpowers. .

This community has lived for more than 6,000 years at an average altitude of 4,200 meters, which has about 40% less oxygen than at sea level.

" Natural selection has found an optimal way to help these people adapt to low oxygen levels," Simonson explains .

Sherpa porters carry goods from farms on Mount Everest (the highest in the world) to villages in Gorak Shep, Nepal for storage. Over thousands of years of living in highlands, they have acquired genetic mutations that allow them to use oxygen more efficiently.

Normally, when oxygen levels decrease, the human body pumps out more oxygen-carrying red blood cells, but this causes the blood to thicken and can lead to altitude sickness or even death.

On the other hand, the Sherpas have developed several genetic mutations that allow them to maintain low levels of red blood cells , while the mitochondria in their cells can still use oxygen more efficiently.

Simonson was studying the activities of Tibetans living at lower altitudes and found that they maintained their advantage even at sea level. This is a superpower and scientists hope to learn from it to help people with chronic hypoxemia due to respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

"Nomad" under the ocean

There's a reason we love superheroes who fly high like Superman or swim deep in the ocean like Aquaman: They can go places we can't.

For free divers, they do not need diving equipment to dive to the depths of the ocean. Typically, the Bajau people in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are representatives of this super power. They can survive underwater for up to 13 minutes at depths of up to 70 meters.

Scientists say that, like the Sherpas in the example above, the Bajau community has developed a genetic advantage to use oxygen more efficiently. However, because they faced a more immediate lack of oxygen, the Bajau developed a faster mechanism.

Over time, natural selection has enabled the spleen in their bodies to grow larger - a place to store oxygenated red blood cells. While diving, their spleen contracts and releases these reserves into the blood.

Fast as lightning

In fiction, mythical creatures such as vampires and werewolves are imbued with super agility, moving with extraordinary balance and reflexes.

In real life, a combination of genetics and training gives some people superhuman strides.

The swordsman Isao Machii is a typical example. Isao Machii has the ability to use a Katana sword to cut in half a plastic bullet flying at him at a speed of 322km/h.

Or like legendary gunman Bob Munden, who was tested on his ability to draw a gun and accurately shoot a target in less than 1/10 of a second, faster than the reaction time of a normal human brain.

Swordsman Isao Machii.

Scientists are still working to understand how the central nervous system helps humans plan and execute complex movements unconsciously.

Super memory

Imagine being able to memorize the order of a deck of cards in 20 seconds or the names and faces of hundreds of strangers in just a few minutes. For someone competing in the US Memory Championship, these achievements are quite possible.

However, there is nothing special about memory champions, except that they practice. Anyone can improve their memory - at any age, scientists say.

Many studies are ongoing to understand how memory training affects brain activity. Some discoveries reveal how memory techniques work, which is done by forming networks in the brain that tie new memories to old ones.

Furthermore, a study in the journal Neuron showed that normal people can significantly improve their memory after just 6 weeks of practice. And super powers are within the reach of all of us, with just a little effort and persistent practice - it will become a reality.