Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science Is Making Us Super
POWER UP If you could have any superpower what would it be Would you want to regenerate like Wolverine Fly like Shazam Turn invisible like Violet Parr Be crazy strong like the Hulk Control minds like the Scarlet Witch Or be immortal like Klaus Hargreeves Too bad humans can't actually do any of these things or can we The fact is scientists are constantly searching for new ways to extend human capabilities And to do this they are applying their expertise in a whole range of fields from bionics the science of designing prostheses modeled on biological parts to psychology the study of the mind and behavior Believe it or not many of the imaginary superpowers we see in comics and movies and on television are already a reality and even more are on their way In this book you'll be introduced to some incredible scientific inventions and advancements that can push us past the limits of the bodies we were born with In each section you'll travel back in time to discover some early superpowered ideas before zapping ahead to today's science then finally blasting forward to learn what the future might have in store Along the way you may just be inspired to dream up your own superhero innovations to help us live our best and longest lives A
SECTION 1 SUPER PARTS Wolverine can rebuild himself from a single drop of blood Ms Marvel can take a bullet and keep on ticking by reverting to her non superhero form Deadpool can slice off his hand and grow it back in no time This ability to regrow a body part that has been damaged or removed is called regeneration Humans can't regenerate an entire arm or leg like certain superheroes can but we can regrow part of our liver and the tip of a finger It's a start right That's certainly what the scientists who are exploring the possibilities of regeneration think Some superheroes who can't regenerate have a different super powerful resource at their disposal high tech prostheses Prostheses are artificial body parts and in the superhero world these replacements are usually super powered versions of biological parts When Blade had to bite off his hand to escape being chained up he's given a gun like attachment and later a cybernetic hand Then there's Aquaman's cybernetic golden harpoon which replaced his left hand after it was devoured by piranhas In the superhero world the word cybernetic basically means combining body and machine Cybernetic organism cyborg When it comes to real world prostheses we think most often of artificial arms and legs But there are many other kinds including artificial eyes ears noses teeth and heart valves Some of these prostheses may not have the full capability of a biological part but scientific advancements are making many replacements closer to the real thing and even going beyond what nature intended
