It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a superhuman!

This blog post is going to be dedicated to those who defy the norms:

     Shakuntala Devi was acknowledged in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. Devi was able to multiply two 13 digit numbers and recite the 26 digit response in just 28 seconds. There have been many "human calculators" down the line, and nowadays they are even tested in the annual Human Calculation World Cup. Participants include world-record-breakers, math teachers, motivational speakers, etc. Many of them have authored books in attempts to improve math skills among children or to even make math fun (I took AP Calculus - math is not fun). Mike Byster is one of the fastest mathematical minds in the world, but he is a former stock broker turned math teacher and creator of Brainetics (it's for kids, to help the math-shy; it sounds neat though). However, if you simply google "human calculator," and not on Shakuntala Devi's birthday, Scott Flansburg is the top result. Flansburg is the Guinness World Record holder for fastest human calculator, and even serves as the global ambassador for World Maths Day (which I had no idea existed, but pi day is on March 14th!).
      If you ever find yourself looking for a show to watch late at night, perhaps check out Stan Lee's Superhumans, where they literally search for people alleged to defy the norms (and represent a reality for superheroes in even the slightest of ways). However, I have searched through the main bios from the show in the attempt to find the most relevant superhumans - those concerned with the brain. Eskil Ronningsbakken is alleged to have the ability to TURN OFF fear - I'm sorry, what?? Yes. This superhuman takes on super balance at super heights and seems to have the ability to turn off the brain's innate reactions (fight or flight response - FLEE! FLEE FROM THE DEADLY HEIGHTS!). Juan Ruiz has been blind since birth, but is allegedly capable of visualizing the world through a form of sonar similar to echolocation, like bats and dolphins. Derek Paravicini, a.k.a. the human jukebox, is both blind and autistic and is also capable of remembering AND accurately replaying any song he has ever heard and ever hears. Although some of the other "superhumans" were interesting and their defiance of physical norms I'm sure requires cognitive factors, these were the most relevant. Honestly though, it's all so strange, interesting, and compelling at the same time. Do you think these things are possible? Are superhumans real? How?
        I honestly can't answer those questions for you, it's entirely a matter of opinion. I'm sure there are genetic and neurological components behind these superhumans, but I cannot give you the details. Can people train for these abilities? If I give my child Flansburg's book and Byster's Brainetics, can I raise my child as a human calculator? There are so many unanswered questions (some more realistic than others obviously), but I couldn't help but address this topic. My uncle has an absurd memory - he can remember crime scenes from years ago: dates, suspects, details, evidence, etc. without even looking at the case file. I grew up thinking he had some sort of superhuman, above average, photographic memory of sorts (although now we know photographic memories aren't real). Nonetheless, I've always wanted an explanation. I've always been curious and I've always wanted to learn how he did it so that I could have a memory like that too.

Let me know your thoughts! Do you know any superhumans?