When we think of the term 'superpower’, it’s usually in the form of flying, immortality, or shooting beams through our eyes, but there are actually a number of humans on Earth that have 'real life superpowers'.
Move on over Superman and Iron Man, there are some new people about to join the lineup of saving the human race.
These seven individuals with unique but remarkable capabilities might just blow your socks off.
Their abilities are so out of the ordinary that scientists have no idea how they got their 'superpower’.
Advert
But there’s a few things that could be at play.
Whether it’s through genetics, some strict practice, a fluke, or a combination of all three, they have proven powers that nobody can understand the origin of.
But what we do know is that they have skills you’re unlikely to see anywhere else outside of a film.
Wim Hof
Advert
Wim Hof - or 'The Iceman' as he is better known - can withstand freezing temperatures for a very long time.
In 2000, the Dutchman set a Guinness World Record for the farthest swim under ice (though this has since been beaten), as well as one for the longest duration full body contact with ice.
The latter was for an extraordinary one hour, 53 minutes and two seconds, while many of us run screaming at even a cold shower. Though the record is now held by Valerjan Romanovski at three hours and 28 seconds.
Not only can he withstand the cold, but 66-year-old Hof can also avoid getting sick after being exposed to the cold for such long periods.
Advert
In 2011, Dr Peter Pickkers wrote that 'through his meditation technique' Hof's inflammatory cells have 'been suppressed more than 1/3 to a half compared to normal subjects'.
Natasha Demkina
Natasha Demkina has a rather different ability from withstanding the cold.
Advert
Instead, the 38-year-old Russian claims to be able to see inside people's bodies - meaning she can allegedly find any problems with organs or tissues in someone.
The unusual claim led to Demkina being given the moniker the 'girl with X-ray eyes'.
There were of course tests to see if she could actually do what she claimed, and in January 2004 she identified the source of a sore ankle on UK daytime TV show This Morning.
The same year, she found four out of seven medical diagnoses when researchers investigated her.
Advert
But the four out of seven score led some scientists to think that she didn't actually have abilities, as that's low enough to be from blind luck.
There were also some issues when she misidentified alleged health problems with This Morning's Chris Steele, including kidney, pancreas, and stomach issues.
Daniel Browning Smith
Advert
Over the years, Daniel Browning Smith has been called 'the most flexible man on the planet' and 'Rubberboy'.
The 46-year-old American's contortion abilities have earned him no fewer than seven Guinness World Records for his remarkable feats.
In the case of Smith, his 'superpower' has been explained by doctors, who diagnosed him with a genetic condition - hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
This can result in increased joint mobility as the condition affects connective tissue.
Advert
However, while in Smith's case it provided hypermobility, it can also cause severe chronic joint pain, thin stretchy skin, and problems with internal organs.
Stephen Wiltshire
British architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire, 51, has an incredibly accurate photographic memory.
Advert
This means that he can recreate an entire building or even a cityscape near perfectly after being able to see it just once.
Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with autism aged three, is said to have 'savant syndrome' - which is when someone who is neurodivergent or who has a disability becomes incredibly proficient at a specific skill.
Ben Underwood
Advert
As a young boy, Ben Underwood was diagnosed with retinoblastoma cancer, meaning that he lost both of his eyes.
When he was seven years old, he claimed that by clicking his tongue, he could 'see' the world like a dolphin.
It is theoretically possible for humans to learn echolocation, but Underwood was considered to be particularly good at it.
Tragically, however, Underwood died aged just 16 in 2009 when his cancer came back.
Thai Ngoc
Advert
Vietnamese farmer Thai Ngoc claims that he hasn't slept at all since 1973.
The farmer, who is believed to be in his 80s, said that he just felt a bit 'grumpy' after going for decades without getting any sleep whatsoever, Giao Duc Thoi Dai reports.
Some people have a condition where they are incapable of sleeping and die as a result, but Ngoc claims to have survived for years.
That said, the case has not been thoroughly studied, so who knows how he manages to stay awake without even so much as a power nap.
Prahlad Jani
Prahlad Jani, also known as Mataji and Chunriwala Majaji, was a breatharian monk from India who lived between 1929 and 2020.
Prahlad claimed to be able to live without food or water, saying that the Hindu goddess Amba sustained him.
Two tests carried out on the monk, one in 2003 for 10 days and another in 2010 for 15 days, found that he did not consume any food or water or go to the bathroom during these periods.
Nonetheless, some doctors expressed scepticism about the tests, pointing out that there is a big difference between not eating for days and not eating for years.
Britt Jones