Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : March 27, 2014 2:08 PM IST
Every time a new X-Men movie or trailer comes out especially one as epic as Days of Future Past I'm beleaguered by the same question that has haunted every comic fan since the dawn of time can humans evolve into mutants? Wouldn't it be the most awesome thing to be able to have retractable claws and healing powers like Hugh Jackman's Wolverine or control metal like Magneto or minds like Professor X? Comic book pioneer Stan Lee created mutants because he wanted to create a host of superheroes who would've superhero-like powers without having to go to the trouble of thinking up origin stories for each and every one of them and that are how we ended up with mutants, but do mutants actually exist?
Well technically speaking we're all mutants to some degree or another and there do walk among us individuals with crazy, mutant-like powers. There are individuals who have immensely high pain thresholds, a child who can lift almost inhuman amounts of weights and has a very strong exoskeleton, individuals who can generate enough heat to boil water (we're not talking about Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) and even someone like Rahul Gandhi who must have deceptive powers of illusion and mind-control. How else do you explain the fact that he actually has sane individuals convinced that he should be the next Prime Minister? Jokes apart, it all depends on how you define mutation.
What exactly is mutation?
Technically speaking, mutation at a genetic level is a natural process. It refers to minute changes in a DNA sequence that occur when the DNA is being copied. The phenomenon occurs once every 100,000 nucleotides or so. Sometimes, only one base is replaced with another or an extra base is added, but most of these changes are corrected as the process proceeds. In some cases however, when the changes remain unrepaired, it's passed on to the person's offspring so we all have some genetic difference from our parents.
Anyone who's familiar with basic high school biology will know that adaptation -- where a species evolves or picks up new traits -- doesn't happen overnight. Chameleons didn't start changing colour suddenly on one day and neither did polar bears suddenly grow thick fur. It's a painfully slow process.
All that's fine but can we one day have superpowers?
That'll really depend on an individual's definition of superpowers. Currently, we've individuals who can do things way better than our forefathers. In fact, our forefathers could very well consider Usain Bolt or Michel Phelps to be mutants. Michael Johnson, the American sprinter once came on a show to suggest that Black Americans and Caribbean sprinters have something called a superior 'athletic slave gene' which made them physically far superior to other races. The story goes that the slave boat's journey to the Caribbean was so harsh that only the fittest survived the journey.
This so-called superior gene would then pass on to generations. DNA testing showed that Johnson was of West African descent, like Bolt. Surely it's a touchy topic considering that it highlights the lowest key of humanity -- slavery. But it would be silly to not talk about it at all. All 8 finalists in both 100m events were believed to be descendants of slaves so there's no point saying that they don't have a genetic superiority, but they didn't become super agile overnight either. However, there's no point denying that some athletes do have amazing abilities in certain areas that can only come through their genes.
Phelps has an extraordinary wingspan of 6' 7'', his bone structure allows him to extend his arms higher above his head and pull down at an angle that gives him added benefits over other competitors. He also has muscle capacity which produces lesser lactic acid meaning, he has far greater endurance than other swimmers. That however, doesn't really make him or people who might or might not possess the so-called 'superior athlete gene' a mutant.
But what about real superpowers like controlling metal or healing wounds?
Wolverine's healing ability (that's his original power along with the bone claws) allowed him to live on forever. That's just an extension of the body's natural healing ability; we've after all the ability to regenerate skin (when we cut ourselves the wound heals by regeneration of the skin), Wolverine's skin just healed much faster than ours. However, our modern lifestyle has put a stop to our need to adapt to environmental circumstances greatly. Most humans no longer need to be the fittest to survive and this means that in Darwinian terms the general population's ability to adapt and get greater physical prowess will diminish. So even though we might have some individuals who get better like athletes (one must say that evolving sports science and nutrition also plays a part in better athletes), most humans will become physically less powerful. Yet, there are instances where human species living in a particular area have adapted to a great extent in a short period of time. For example, Sherpas and Tibetans have enhanced oxygen circulation capacity with wider capillaries so that unlike mere mortals they don't suffer from altitude sickness. I don't think that will be considered a superpower anytime soon but that's about the extent of the improvement of the human race.
It's quite unlikely that we'll ever see the kind of powers that we consider superhuman in our race physically, since we don't have too many physical hurdles in life anymore. The life expectancy has gone up from 20 in the Neolithic Era to 67.2 years in 2010 and you don't need to be a physical marvel to survive in the wild. That means we're unlikely to face any adverse situations which would require the human race to adapt to the changing environment, and become more physically stronger. Sadly, that means we're unlikely to get superpowers any time soon!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.
