"The Insomniac"

Name: Thai Ngoc
Sex: Male
Ability: Permanent Insomnia
Place of Origin: Quế Sơn District of Quảng Nam Province

Additional Information:

In 1973, Thai became ill with a fever. After he recovered, he was unable to sleep and has been unable to since (except for one thirty minute stint that he laughed about recently). He has been checked for mental illness and physical wellness and he is fine, except perhaps for poor circulation to the brain. Thai uses his gifts to work his farm both day and night and rather enjoys doing so, even helping neighboring farmers as well. He refuses to trade his gift for money, but does allow film crews to observe him at his own home if they wish to.

Additional Resources and Sources:
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities-part-ii/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/sleep-ngoc-thai-tony-wright-randy-gardner-david-blaine-2855.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/special-reports/16969/a-man-sleepless-for-39-years.html
http://www.quora.com/How-was-Thai-Ngoc-able-to-survive-without-sleep-for-41-years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A1i_Ng%E1%BB%8Dc




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"The Woman Who Can't Forget"

Name: Jill Price
Sex: Female
Ability: Hyperthymesia
Place of Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States

Additional Information:

Jill has not been able to forget anything about her own life since she was fourteen years old. She describes it as having "split screen vision" and walking around with a video camera on her shoulder. She says if you were to ask her about a particular day then she would simply pop in the tape for that day and review it. According to her, she is always living her whole life at once and old wounds are hard to move past, since she does not have the option like the rest of us to forget or block out hurt or rejection. She also says that she would panic if she had to memorize anything for a class, such as a monologue, because that was not how it worked. She reached out to Dr. James McGaugh, the leading memory researcher at the University of California at Irvine. When a scan of her brain was done, parts of her brain were bigger than they should have been for her age. Her brain resembled the brain of someone with severe obsessive compulsive disorder. For a long time, she kept her gift in the shadows, wanting to be left alone. Finally she came out, writing a book called The Woman Who Can't Forget and let Diane Sawyer interview her. Today, she is trying to help with research for people with conditions like dementia or Alzheimer's.

Additional Resources and Sources:
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities-part-ii/
http://archive.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/17-04/ff_perfectmemory
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4813052&page=1
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90596530
http://www.jillprice.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Price

"The Iceman"

Name: Wim Hof
Sex: Male
Ability: Practices the form of breathing known as Tummo to control his body temperature
Place of Origin: Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands

Additional Information:

Wim uses the form of breathing called Tummo, which is found in the Six Yogas of the teachings of Tibetan Vajrayana to maintain his body temperature at normal levels, no matter what the external temperatures may be. He uses this ability to break records and perform incredible feats, such as sitting in tanks of ice in nothing but shorts and climbing Mt. Everest, wearing the same. Due to his popularity and media exposure, he has come to be known as "the Iceman." Many Buddhist monks still practice the art of Tummo. It is not unique, to Mr. Hof.

Additional Resources and Sources:
http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-real-people-with-superhuman-powers/5/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof
http://www.icemanwimhof.com/en-home
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4393377
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110422090203.htm 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tummo

"Captain UV"

Name: Alek Komarnitsky
Sex: Male
Ability: Observe the ultraviolet spectrum of light
Place of Origin: Colorado, United States

Additional Information:

Alek is a former engineer and air force officer. His vision has never been great, but he has always managed it through traditional methods, ie corrective lenses. When a cataract formed on his right eye, he decided to get the cataract surgery with crystalens implant. When he was finally able to take the eye patch off, Alek discovered that he was able to see ultraviolet light. Eventually he had this done to the other eye as well, with the same results. He has undergone extensive scientific testing to observe his gifts. Alek, however, is cracking jokes about it, saying that he should use his gifts for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions!

Additional Resources and Sources:
www.komar.org
http://www.komar.org/faq/colorado-cataract-surgery-crystalens/ultra-violet-color-glow/monochromator-test-notes.txt
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities/
http://whofortedblog.com/2013/06/11/accidental-bionic-upgrade-mans-surgery-gifts-super-powered-eyesight/
http://www.komar.org/faq/colorado-cataract-surgery-crystalens/ultra-violet-color-glow/
http://www.komar.org/faq/colorado-cataract-surgery-crystalens/
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/118557-the-eyes-have-it-seeing-ultraviolet-exploring-color

"Magnet Man"

Name: Liew Thow Lin
Sex: Male
Ability: Skin generates high amounts of friction, producing a suction effect that mimics magnetism
Place of Origin: Malaysia

Additional Information:

Liew discovered his talents late in life, after putting in many years of manual labor. He discovered that his metal tools began to stick to him. Scientists could figure out no reason for this to happen, as he generated no magnetic field. It was later found out that he produces high levels of friction that causes suction which makes the metal stick. Liew can stick metal objects weighing up to 2kg each and no more than 36kg total to his body. Liew's grandchildren also exhibit this ability, which proves it to be genetic. Liew was featured on the 2nd episode of Discovery Channel's One Step Beyond.

Additional Resources and Sources:
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities-part-ii/
http://mysteryhistory.tv/meet-liew-thow-lin-aka-malaysias-mr-magnetic-man/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liew_Thow_Lin
http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/30553-one-step-beyond-magnetic-man-video.htm

"Electricity Mohan"

Name: Raj Mohan Nair

Sex: Male

Ability: Safely conduct large amounts of electricity throughout any part of his body

Place of Origin: Kollam, India

Additional Information:

Mohan discovered his abilities as a child, following the death of his mother. He attempted to commit suicide by grabbing a live wire coming from a transformer but it did not harm him. Since then, Mohan has learned that he can conduct large amounts of electricity throughout his body and was even featured on the first episode of "Stan Lee's Super Humans." In the episode, he was shown lighting a lightbulb, powering a blender, and heating a hot plate to the point where he was able to fully cook an omelet. Daniel Browning Smith, the host of the show tested the ohms produced by Mohan's skin against the ohms produced by his own to find that Mohan's skin was over a million times more resistant to electricity than a normal person's. While the current is passing through him, however, he is temporarily blind.

Additional Resources and Sources:

"Stan Lee's Super Humans" Episode 1: Electro Man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee%27s_Superhumans)

https://sciencebasedeverything.wordpress.com/tag/mohan-nair/

http://www.odditycentral.com/news/meet-raj-mohan-nair-the-super-human-immune-to-electrecution.html

"Electric Man"

Name: Ma Xiangang
Sex: Male
Ability: Safely conduct and store electrical currents through his hands
Place of Origin: Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China

Additional Information:

By all accounts, Ma was watching television with his wife one day when the cable went out. He went to fix it and grabbed one of the exposed wires without even realizing it. When he noticed, he realized that something was off. He should have been hurt by the electric current passing through his body. Instead, he felt nothing. It was concluded that Ma had a skin condition that left him with hands much like insulated gloves. They keep the current passing through his hands at 6 milliampres when the safety limit for most people is 8-10 milliampres. Today, Ma gives "electrotherapy" massages with his gifts.

Additional Resources and Sources:
http://www.cracked.com/article_19661_6-real-people-with-mind-blowing-mutant-superpowers.html
http://dailysyndrome.com/cool/5-real-documented-cases-of-superhuman-abilities-part-ii/
http://english.cri.cn/2906/2007/01/08/65@182653.htm
http://its-interesting.com/2013/12/26/electric-man-ma-xiangang-is-impervious-to-electric-shock/