The Flash The Flash needs 50 times his body weight in food in order to do what he does
If the Flash is about 170 pounds, 50 times his body weight is 8500 pounds of food– 4.5 tons each day! 4.5 tons= amount 4250,000 calo- ries! Which is about how much a regular hu- man needs for 5 years.
So the Flash eats 5 years worth of food in a day. That right there is a serious pressure on the local community he’s part of. He’s consuming resources at a stagger- ing rate The Flash The Flash has evolved in the comics over the years and is now capable of run- ning even faster than the speed of light. The allows him to time travel and be in several placed at once.
In reality physics believes nothing can travel faster than light. This is because the energy needed exponentially increases as you get closer to the speed of light. This means that a small increase in speed towards the speed of light takes a massive amount of energy. You can never get enough energy to accel- erate a mass to the speed of light
The Speed of light is 300,000,000 mS-1 In the comic world the flash used the ‘Speed force’ to travel at any speed with- out the need for massive amounts of energy needed in the real world. This al- lows him to do interesting things like time travel
‘AQUAMAN CRYSTAL’ could see humans breath underwater ….. Scientists at the University of South Denmark have devel- oped a synthetic crystal that absorbs and stores oxygen The stored oxygen– which can be absorbed from air or water – can then be released when needed by putting it under a small amount of heat
This could be valuable for lung patients who today must carry heavy oxygen tanks with them. Divers may one day be able to leave their oxygen tanks at home and instead get oxygen from this material as it ‘filters’ and con- centrates oxygen from surrounding air or water. A few grains con- tain enough oxygen for one breath, and as the material can ab- sorb oxygen from the water around the diver and supply the div- er with it, the diver will not need to bring more than these few grains.
It has been dubbed the ‘Aquaman Crystal’
It has a sponge like consistency and its key component is cobalt, which allows it to absorb oxygen The Penetrating Cold ……
Aquaman is a marine mammal. With the exception of his healthy mane, he is effectively hairless. As a human we would expect his internal body temperature to be around 37 degrees. Even at its warmest points, the surface tem- perature of the ocean around the equator is about 27 degrees. At the poles of the ocean the temperature can actually drop a few de- grees below freezing. The ocean is cold, and the water is a much better thermal conductor than air. Warm blooded species have evolved many different systems to manage these gra- dients, including counter current heat ex- changes, insulating fur, and heavy layers of blubber. Marine mammals that can handle the cold generally look like this …... Aquaman is not just human, he is an incredible buff hu- man. The man can’t have more than 2% body fat.
In contrast warm– water bottlenose dolphins have at least 18-20% body fat. Every scuba diver knows, even with a 12 millimetre neoprene wet suit, after a few hours in 80F water, you get cold.
Aquaman, lacking any visible insulation should have slipped into hypothermia long ago. He is better built for the beach than the frigid deep . Wearing Tights Makes you Faster and More Resilient …… Out of all the elements of the Superman mythology, the fact that he likes to wear blue and red tights might be the most pointless and arbitrary. But what if we told you wearing a tight fighting costume really does make you more like Super- man?
Scientists have done studies that confirm wearing tight fitting clothing makes your faster. In a German Study, researches found that compression stockings improved stamina by 4% and top speed by 2%
Scientists suggest this happens because the compression results in increased blood flow which carries more oxy- gen to the muscles (which is good because Oxygen is what makes you go) Standing like Superman Makes You More Resistant to Pain ….. There’s probably not a single incarnation of Superman where he doesn’t stand with his hands on his hips at least one
But while most assume Superman can afford to stand like that because he’s got the whole indestructible thing going for him, it turns out assuming a dominant pose really does make you more tolerant to pain
In a study scientists had volunteers stand in a dominant pose (Chest out, expanding their bodies) and a more submissive pose (just kinda standing there). They put a blood pressure cuff on their arm and pumped until the volunteers told them to stop. Those in the dominant pose were able to take more pressure that those in the submissive pose …… just standing like Superman made them more resistant to pain! But that’s not all …… personality counts too.
The study also found that even assuming a submissive attitude makes you suck more at pain tolerance and generally turns you into a bigger sissy.
Scientists tested this by pairing up volunteers and ac- tors who talked loudly and sort of got in the faces of their partners for the while experiment. When the ac- tors where mean to the volunteers, they turned meek and had less resistance to pain and also their strength decreased slightly . When the roles were reversed the opposite happened
Amazingly Scientists think that even emotional pain could be withstood more efficiently by assuming a Superman– Like pose. Solitude Makes You More Empathetic and Gives You Super Memory ….. A classic element of the Superman Sto- ries is the Fortress of Solitude, a giant, secret palace in the Artic where he can get away from the stresses of life
A study from North-western University found that being lonely makes people more empathetic
The explanation for this is that being with friends or family satisfies our need for social connection which in turns means you won’t care that much about strangers. In other words isolating himself in his fortress helps Superman care about the humans he saves everyday. But that’s not the only benefit …… Solitude also improves memory In a study at Harvard University, volunteers were paired off and shown random images. Some groups were told they’d be working on the same task on their individual computers, while others were told they’d be working alone. A week later, the ones who thought they were working alone. A week later, the ones who thought they were working alone were a lot more likely to remember the im- age
Apparently just the act of being with other people drains our attention and makes it harder to keep track of stuff. Is Superhuman Strength Possible? Enhanced strength is a pretty common trait in the comic book world
One of the reasons that most people aren’t ‘shredded’ is because our bodies prevent us from making a lot of muscle. Our bodies produce a chemical called myostatin which limits muscle growth.
So if someone could stop producing myostatin, or produce less they could get really strong. There are breeds of animals that produce reduced amounts of myosatin. These animals are born with more muscles than their normal counterparts. No exer- cise, no chemicals, no enhanced diets, just more muscle than everyone else
If a person produced less myostatin they would be stronger than the average per- son. They would have a genetic mutation that gave them increased strength. Now real mutants can’t throw cars or cause the Earth to crack by pounding on the ground People with this mutation are stronger than normal and have lots of well– defined muscles without even trying
A baby born in Germany in 2004 had an enhanced muscu- lar physique unusual for his age. Before the age of 5 he could hold seven pounds weight with arms extended, some- thing many adults can not do.
Liam Hoeskstra was the second baby found to have this myostatin mutation. He could hang on an iron cross by 5 months and perform pull ups by 9 months. The big- gest miracle of Liam’s story is that he was given up for adoption by biological mum who worried over the vari- ous medical conditions the infant suffered. He was tak- en in by foster guardians ever since. Quit e the Superman Story huh? Is there a way to get strength chemically in the real world …..? The first thought is anabolic steroids. These are synthetic versions of male sex hormones. They are used medically to treat problems such as delayed puberty or muscle loss from disease. When abused for muscle gain they can cause ag- gressive behaviour, acne, kidney damage, high blood pressure, liver disease, heart problems, cancer, and voice deepening and facial hair in women
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has been tried for this purpose, but there is no conclusive evidence that it enhances strength.
Scientists have been trying to find ways to block the genes related t o myostatin production without much luck. One product claims to lower myostatin produc- tion and increase muscle mass. A recent study shoed that subjects who took the product and exercised had more muscle than those who exercised without it. What is a Cyborg>? The word cyborg is a shortened version of ‘Cybernetic Organism’. A cyborg is any liv- ing thing that has both organic and me- chanical/electrical parts that either restore of enhance the organism’s functioning. Ro- bots and droids do not fall into this catego- ry
With such an encompassing definition , even people with the most common techno- logical implants, such as prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and cochlear implants, can al- so be considered ‘Cyborgs’ With recent advances in robotics and bio mechatronics, the reality of a Cyborg is no longer on the horizon, its here and has been for quite sometime. Currently, there are a plethora of companies that offer the cutting edge in advanced pros- thetics, not only to rectify physiological impairments but to enhance our human abilities together.
The Cyborg Foundation is a company start- ed by Neil Harbission, a once colour blind man that now has a brain antenna implant that not only allows him to see colours nor- mally but also see infrared and ultraviolet light as well
When visiting The Cyborg Foundation web- site you are immediately met with the words “ Design yourself” adding that it is “ time for trans-species to come out of the closet”
Real Life Cyborg ….. Mind Controlled Bionic Leg
The mind controlled bionic leg was first used in 2012 by Zac Vawter, a software engineer from Seattle whose leg was amputated above the knee in 2009. The technology that translates brain signals into physical movements, called Targeted Muscle Reninnvervation (TMR) was first created in 2003 for upper– limb prosthet- ics. But Vawer’s prosthetic was revolutionary because it was the first leg prosthetic to use it.
In 2012, Zac Vawter climbed the 2100 steps of the Willis Tower in Chicago, with the help of his prosthetic. It took him 53 minutes and 9 sec- onds. Real Life Cyborg ….. The Eyeborg Project Toranto- Based filmmaker, Rob Spence, decided to replace his missing right eye with a prosthetic equipped with a wire- lessly– transmitted video camera. Thanks to a partnership with RF wireless design company and a group of electrical engineers, Spence created a prosthetic eye shell that could house enough elec- tronics in such a small confined space.
The camera can record up to 30 minutes of footage before depleting the battery. Spence used footage captured by his eye prosthetic in a documentary called ’Deus Ex: The Eyborg Documentary’
Real Life Cyborg ….. Hard Drive Finger Jerry Jalava is the perfect example of how you don’t need to be a ro- botics mastermind to become a cyborg ….. You can pretty much do it yourself!
After losing a finger in a motorcycle accident, Jalava decided to embed a 2GB USB port into his prosthetic . It doesn’t up- load information directly into his nervous system, but it’s at least more use- ful that a USB Keychain.
Real Life Cyborg ….. Bionic Limb Cyborg technology is perhaps most immediately useful for amputees. In the future we might imagine a world where every amputee is equipped with new robotic limbs that are connected to their nervous systems, capable of being operated just like normal limbs
Jesse Sullivan is a pioneer in this respect. He effectively became one of the world’s first cyborgs when he was equipped with a bionic limb, connected through a nerve muscle graft. Not only can Sullivan con- trol his new limb with his mind, he can al- so feel hot, cold, and the amount of pres- sure his grip is applying! Wonder Woman Never Ages ….. Aging in normal people typically occurs due to errors in DNA replication, caus- ing wrinkles, liver spots, diseases and lack of pigment. DNA has a tail with many added proteins, but each time a cell replicates some of these proteins are lost. Wonder Woman doesn’t appear to age. Her internal mechanisms must be mu- tated in such a way that the cells work at extremely high speeds only when her body detects injury or a foreign agent in the bloodstream, and at only the precise location of injury. This unnatural mecha- nism ensures that the lost pro- teins are replenished rapidly. This is why age revealing factors like wrinkles and grey hair are not visible The Lasso of Truth Today ….. A lasso of truth would be great for today’s world. It could be used to see if crimi- nals are telling the truth in court, to examine incoming refugees or to simply find out if your kids really stole a cookie form the cookie jar.
Maybe Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth doesn’t exist but the truth can still be de- tected.
With Eyedetect, an optical scanner measures bio-cognitive re- sponses, such as changes in pupil diameter, eye movement, eye blinks and fixations. The bigger the lie the greater the cogni- tive response.
In a 30 minute test, Eyedetect can detect truth with 86% accu- racy. For maximum accuracy, EyeDetect can be combined with polygraph to achieve 98.9% confidence The Creator of Wonder Woman also invented the Lie Detector ……
We learn to lie around age 2 to 3. By the time we’re adults, we do it a lot– at least once a day. Its no wonder we’ve been chasing af- ter an accurate lie detector for so long. Born in 1893, William Moulton Marston was a Harvard trained psychologist, lawyer and University professor.
Initially inspiration struck him after his wife pointed out ‘When she got mad or excit- ed her blood pressure seemed to climb’
Believing that active deception causes quantifiable anxiety in humans, Marston then created the Systolic blood pressure test. He employed a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff to successfully measure the physiological activity of subjects who re- sponded to questions with false answers In 1921 John Augustus Larson used Marston’s findings and techniques as es- sential components of his new invention the polygraph .
The polygraph is a machine designed to detect and record changes I physio- logical characteristics such as pulse and breathing rates, used especially as a lie detector.
Shortly after 1940 Marston was hired to be a consultant for All American Publications, the forerunner of DC Comics. Again his wife inspired her husband to cre- ate Wonder Woman, suggesting that a true equal alternative to Superman, Bat- man and other popular comic stars would be a female superhero who overwhelmed adversaries with her specifically female powers Batman Gadgets ….. At times when Batman needs to disappear he resorts to a sonic device that attracts a cloud of bats. Bats use ultrasound to find food and communicate.
Ultrasounds are longitudinal waves , like sound waves, that are at a higher frequency that humans can hear.
Human hearing range is about 20– 20, 000 Hz Bats hearing range is about 1000– 150000 Hz
There are ultrasound devices on the market for repel- ling bats, most of these have been found not to work, however it has been shown that bats can be attracted by sound. Bats can also be attracted to electronic mosquito repellers that mimic the sound of dragon- flies. This is because dragonflies are a good food source for bats. We know what Batman’s Training Diet and Biology would be like …… Even though Batman is one of the few ‘normal’ superheroes, in that he isn't alien and doesn’t have any radiation– induced powers, he’s still clearly more physically adapted than the standard person.
One way your body develops under extreme physical training is that your bones that are under a lot of stress increase in density– runners have thick leg bones, boxers have thicker arm bones etc. But a side ef- fect of that bone densification is that your bones that DON’T get atten- tion actually decrease in density . So athletes tend to have squishier skulls than couch potatoes.
But Batman couldn’t afford that because he has to be able to take a punch. So he’d have to subject his skull to body hardening exercises, which means he’d spend a chunk of his workout smacking his face against the wall in the bat cave. Batman would also need to train with his weapons more than with his hands since the homunculus in the brain (which makes maps of physical activity and provides you with muscle memory) has more trouble making maps that include tools.
Surprisingly Batman could get by on only 4000-5000 calories a day (less than half that of an Olympic swimmer) Batman is constantly on the verge of passing out …..
Batman is nocturnal and the human body hates that. Anyone who’s worked nights knows your pretty much always tired.
Batman has to go out during the day sometime to keep up his Bruce Wayne identity and also has to work in complete darkness, so he’s constantly sleep deprived.
In fact, he’s so sleep deprived it has been argued that Barman has done the vast majority of his fighting with the equiva- lent of a 0.08% blood alcohol level.