Trailer for Stan Lee's Superhumans/A+E Networks docu
It is known that science is not able to explain everything - and one of the phenomena that it certainly has trouble explaining belongs to the people before us, who were born or adopted real superpowers.
These people, some of whom are no longer with us, amazed experts around the world who are still trying to decipher what is behind their unimaginable abilities.
In the list of mutants you will find the girl with x-ray vision, the man who hasn't eaten or drunk in 70 years and the man known as the "Ice Man" who takes a shower in freezing water for pleasure.
Many of them became famous and even built careers for themselves thanks to their unusual abilities.
Although the boy who sees without eyes is not alive, his abilities are still being studied today.
The man who hasn't slept in 50 years also intrigued the researchers who tried to find a logical explanation for the phenomenon.
Some also messed up, as in the case of the girl with x-ray vision who swore that the host of the British morning show was sick, but tests showed that he was perfectly healthy.
Well, they are allowed to make mistakes sometimes, they are also human.
Kind of.
So let's get to know them.
The girl with x-ray vision
Natasha Damkina claimed she could see directly into other people's bodies and make medical diagnoses.
Since the age of 10, she has been performing "scans" in Russia.
Today she is 37 years old, but she claims she has had these powers since she was a child.
A Discovery Channel documentary noted cases where Damkina successfully identified all the fragments and metals in the body of a woman who had recently been in a car accident.
Since January 2006 Damkina has been working at a special diagnostic center whose stated goal is to diagnose and treat diseases in collaboration with "experts with exceptional abilities, folk healers and professionals in traditional medicine."
However, many experts doubt her claims and abilities.
She was also wrong more than once, it turns out.
In one incident, she told British This Morning television doctor Chris Steele that he suffered from a number of medical conditions, including kidney stones, gall bladder disease and an enlarged liver and pancreas.
A medical evaluation carried out later determined that he is in good health and does not suffer from any of the diseases she identified.
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ice Man
Wim Hoff has amazed the world for years with its record breaking tolerance to cold temperatures.
The Dutch father and stuntman climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, stayed in an ice bath for 112 minutes (and thereby broke the world record. Currently he holds more than twenty world records in the field) and finished a half marathon barefoot in the snow, but he detests cold temperatures.
He told MailOnline: When people say "this guy loves the cold", I say: "No, I hate it!, but the therapeutic powers of the cold are tremendous - and because they are tremendous, that's why I love it."
Hoff attributes his achievements to the breathing technique he developed based on Tibetan meditation, which aims to be healthier, happier and stronger.
According to him, it is essential to clear the mind and not think about anything before treating the cold.
He added: "Your body goes into fight or flight mode. You go into survival mode."
He spent his 63rd birthday in an ice-cold bath for 63 minutes and added: "To be honest, when I'm in freezing water I enjoy myself. I have full control over my body and I love it."
In 2012, an episode starring Hoff was aired in an American TV show that investigates the truth behind various stories.
He was tested against an employee of the program named Austin, both of whom sat in ice baths.
Austin sat in the bath for about twenty minutes and his body temperature dropped by 8 degrees, while Hoff's body temperature during this time as well as his heart rate remained stable (his body temperature was about 37 degrees).
Hoff explained his ability to absorb and bear cold loads by being able to "turn on his internal thermostat" through the power of thought.
The boy who sees without eyes
Ben Underwood of California lost his sight to cancer at the age of 3, but went through his teenage years without needing a cane or a guide dog.
Instead, he was able to navigate his surroundings using only his hearing, making clicking sounds with his mouth to create an echo to help him navigate the terrain.
He knew how to identify buildings only by the sounds he heard and made.
Scientists believe that losing his sight at an early age helped him develop his super hearing.
His younger brother, for example, had no idea he was blind because he was able to walk freely, play basketball and ride a bicycle just like their friends.
Sadly, Underwood passed away at the age of 16 after his cancer returned.
Since then research has been carried out to determine how other blind people can be taught to 'echo' as Ben used to do.
The man who didn't eat or drink for 70 years
Prahlad Jani claimed that he did not drink water for more than seven decades.
The doctors were shocked when they watched him for over two weeks (somewhere in 2010) and did not see him eat or drink even once.
He was only seen gargling water and bathing (so a few drops of water must have slipped in), but he didn't eat or drink anything.
Janeway did not visit the bathroom during the 15-day trial, and doctors told ABC News that this condition would normally result in a person needing dialysis.
Not in his case.
According to Perhald, who was born in August 1929, as a child he went to isolate himself in the forest, where the goddess blessed him and since then fed him through a "special tube" she created, which delivered the food straight to his mouth.
Later, the monk would dress in red women's sari clothes, as well as wear jewelry and flowers in the long hair he grew.
The monk, who gained a huge fan base over the years, founded a temple (ashram) in his home state of Gujarat in the 1970s, and would wake up every day at four in the morning and perform various meditations throughout most of the day.
He died at the age of 91 in May 2020, surrounded by thousands of worshipers and admirers.
Several studies have been conducted on his 'superpowers', none of which have been able to find a satisfactory conclusion.
The man who hasn't slept in 50 years
Thai Ngoc claimed he hadn't slept in five decades.
At the age of 81, he told YouTuber Drew Binsky that he couldn't understand why he couldn't sleep and never felt tired, which failed doctors to diagnose his problem.
His wife was initially concerned about his inability to sleep, but said they had gotten used to the situation.
The farmer and fish farmer says he can sleep a few hours at night if he drinks enough rice wine, but usually he doesn't fall asleep for a minute.
Vietnamnet quoted him as saying: "It's frustrating and upsetting. What a strange disease. When I see others sleeping, I envy them. On moonlit nights, I usually go out to weed and till the ground because sitting still is unbearable. It's strange that I work twice as much as others, But my life is still not that prosperous."
One theory about him staying awake has to do with his fighting in the Vietnam War, where he was reportedly wounded in the hand.
Doctors describe the condition as "post-traumatic stress disorder."
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