Discovery of gene mutation that can create superpowers for humans

Bones are not broken.

People with mutations in the LRP5 gene have dense, strong, unbreakable bones. Tests have shown that the skeletons of people with this gene mutation are eight times harder than normal.

LRP5 was discovered after a man was involved in a serious car accident but suffered no broken bones. His family members also had extremely strong bones. One had a failed hip transplant surgery because doctors could not fit the artificial bone into the old hip.

Super speed

A mutation in the ACTN3 gene causes the body to produce the protein alpha-actinin 3. This protein controls the fast-twitch muscle fibers used in sprinting and weightlifting. Experts estimate that about 18% of the population has this superpowerful mutation without knowing it.

Illustration:Cracked

Feel no pain

The SCN11A gene supplies sodium to nerve cells that transmit pain signals to the brain. Mutations in the gene reduce sodium levels, leaving nerve cells unable to transmit pain signals. People with this mutation cannot feel pain when they have a burn, a broken bone, or any other type of injury.

Super vision

The average human can only distinguish about 1 million colors. A mutation in the opsin gene, responsible for producing the visual pigments for color vision, allows humans to see nearly 100 million colors.

Super strength

The MSTN gene produces myostatin, a protein that tells the body to stop building muscle when it has enough. People with mutations in this gene tend to have at least twice as much muscle as normal people.

Longevity

In 2017, scientists discovered a mutation in the SERPINE1 gene in the Berne Amish community in Indiana, USA. This gene reduces the levels of PAI1 in the bodies of people with the mutation (PAI1 is found in high levels in people with diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease).

This mutation prevents blood clots from forming in the blood vessels and slows down the aging process. People with the mutation can live 10 years longer than others, and the incidence of chronic diseases is reduced to a low level.

Berne Amish community. Photo: Daily Mail

Anti-poisoning

A small Argentine village of 6,000 people has survived consuming more than 80 times the amount of arsenic that would kill an average person. The people in this community are believed to have the AS3MT gene, which helps them eliminate the toxin much faster than the average person.

Scientists believe the phenomenon is due to the village's water supply being connected to a naturally formed water source over thousands of years.