The acclaimed author of Gory Details returns with another fantastic, funny look at the extreme edges of science, in the vein of Mary Roach’s Replaceable You and Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking with Einstein.
Superpowers are real. Okay, maybe our bodies can’t fly or produce heat vision, but we do hold the potential for seemingly superhuman feats. This entertaining book will help us understand the science powering our brains and bodies—and discover how we might harness our own special abilities.
Science journalist Erika Engelhaupt, our guide on this amazing journey, leads us through this intrepid world while attempting to develop some “powers” for herself. And she allows us the opportunity to test ourselves to see if we have hidden superhero potential.
In these pages, we’ll meet real-life “supes” including:
- Super-recognizers (those who don’t forget a face)
- Echolocators (people who navigate the world with bat-like sonar)
- Super-navigators (individuals with brains like a GPS)
- Super-athletes (LeBron James is just the beginning!)
- Savants (human calculators)
- Super-memorizers (names, dates, full decks of playing cards, and more!)
- Tummo experts (Tibetan monks with the ability to change their body temperature with their minds)
Filled with startling insights, cutting edge-science, and a large dose of wit, this incredible book is for anyone who wants to unleash the superpowers within.
Author
Erika Engelhaupt
Erika Engelhaupt is a freelance science journalist, editor, and author. Her previous books Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science and Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations were also published by National Geographic. Engelhaupt’s writing has appeared in top science magazines, newspapers, and websites, including National Geographic, NPR, Science News, Scientific American, and Popular Mechanics. She holds M.S. degrees in biology and environmental science from Tulane University and the University of Colorado Boulder. While she has worked in laboratories, newsrooms, and editorial cubicles, she is happiest in her home in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Jay, and her two cats.
Learn More about Erika Engelhaupt