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WILLIAM SHATNER:
The ability to survive
freezing temperatures

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through sheer force of will.

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Ancient traditions

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that protect the body from pain.

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And extraordinary adventurers

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who risk their lives
to defy the limits.

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How are certain individuals
able to perform

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incredible physical feats
of strength, speed, or stamina

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that most of us
could never dream of doing?

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Is it simply a combination of
natural talent and training?

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Or do some people tap
into mysterious forces

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when they achieve things
that seem almost

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superhuman?

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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

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♪ ♪

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SHATNER:
Central Iceland.

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Here, not far from
a massive glacier

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where temperatures average
just above freezing,

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a man has decided to sit
outside in the cold

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for over an hour,

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wearing only a pair of shorts.

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His name is Wim Hof.

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And although
most people would die

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if they attempted such a feat,
he finds it quite relaxing.

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Wim has made a great
impression on the world

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because of his
extraordinary ability

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to withstand
freezing temperatures.

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His exploits have earned him
the nickname "The Iceman."

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WIM HOF:
The most challenging

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aspect of going into the cold

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is your fear.

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Control your fear

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and let the body do
what the body is capable of.

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All the doctors said,
"You are the Iceman.

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"You are a freak of nature.

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"You are an abnormality.

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You are a superhuman."

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But I'm as human as any person,

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only I am challenging
my body and mind

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in nature.

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SHATNER:
Wim has performed a number of
feats that, on the surface,

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seem impossible,

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such as climbing Mount Everest

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wearing nothing
but shorts and shoes,

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and spending nearly two hours
fully immersed in an ice bath.

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But what motivated Wim
to learn how to brave the cold,

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in the first place?

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HOF:
As a young kid,

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I was very interested in
anything that was strange...

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...and stories
and deeds of people

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going into
the unknown, so-called.

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And when I was 17, I began
to go in freezing temperatures.

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And there I found
a deep connection

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with my body,
with my god, with a depth.

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And that is now 45 years ago.

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And since then,

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I have never skipped a day
going into the cold.

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THOMAS COYNE:
In these ungodly,
below-freezing temperatures,

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your average person
can freeze to death

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in less than 30 minutes.

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It's not an environment
that's suitable for humans.

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So with Wim Hof,
his ability to withstand cold

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is really extraordinary.

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It just makes
absolutely no sense.

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SHATNER:
For an ordinary person,

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attempting these feats would
result in almost certain death.

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And yet Wim Hof
doesn't just survive

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in frigid temperatures,
he seems to thrive in them.

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But how?

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Well, according to Wim Hof,

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this ability doesn't come
from his body

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but rather from his mind.

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If we follow the breath...

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(inhaling, exhaling)

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...then the mind
begins to cease.

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I learned how to tap
into my brain,

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to have a much greater control

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than doctors thought
was possible.

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When I go in a brain scan
or in a fMRI,

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and they put cold water
upon my skin

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with a skin temperature

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measurement device,

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I'm able to raise...

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...my skin temperature
so much that the cold water

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is making my skin temperature
not going down.

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That means that through
the psychology,

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I caused something
physiologically.

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MITCH HOROWITZ:
Wim Hof's work is being

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widely studied right now
in academic settings...

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...and what's being
found is that

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he can get into a kind of
transpersonal mental state

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where the body is freed
from perceived limitations,

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making him more resilient

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and capable of acts
of greater stamina.

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We're coming to
a whole new realization

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of the powers of
the mind over the body.

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SHATNER:
Could Wim Hof's mind
be able to regulate

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his body's ability to withstand
freezing temperatures?

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Many experts believe
it's possible.

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And as evidence, they point to

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an ancient Tibetan breathing
technique known as "tummo,"

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which, if done properly,

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can raise a person's
body temperature.

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STEVE MAGNESS:
Tummo was first

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described in the 11th century

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and what it translates to
is "inner fire."

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(chanting in foreign language)

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And the practice is
meditation guided breathing

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where they literally imagine

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that their spine is on fire
and they can feel this flame

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going from their deep inside

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all the way to the top
of their head.

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And it's believed

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that they can raise
their core body temperature

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and feel that heat

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by practicing this meditation
and breathing strategy.

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Tummo gave them control

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to be able to withstand elements
and inner control

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amidst this external chaos.

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AMIR HUSSAIN:
Through this
meditative practice,

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you're literally able
to heat up your body

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so you can withstand
cold temperatures.

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Harvard scientists were able
to document Tibetan monks

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doing their tummo meditation.

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So here they are,
stripped naked to the waist,

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with sheets over them

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in a very, very cold room

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and the body heat that
they're able to generate

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literally makes steam
come off the sheets.

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It's as if they're covered
in a hot, wet blanket,

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but they're doing it internally.

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It's a technique developed
about a thousand years ago

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among Tibetan monks
in the Himalayas,

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but it's a technique
that anyone can use.

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Anyone can be taught
how to do this.

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(chanting in foreign language)

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SHATNER:
If tummo can unlock
the mind's capacity

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to control body temperature,

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then it naturally
begs the question,

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what other incredible abilities
do our minds possess?

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Well, in the case of Wim Hof,

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it appears that he has
taken his mental powers

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to the next level in order
to actually heal his body.

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JUSTIN ROSALES:
15 years ago, Wim ran a half
marathon barefoot in the snow.

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After the half marathon,

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one of the medics, um,
examined his foot and said,

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"Hey, this is,
this is pretty bad."

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And said, "He has
irreparable damage:

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third-degree frostbite."

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And Wim just was so mad.

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He just felt like he could do
something to heal it.

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So Wim was able to start
healing his frostbitten foot

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by doing his normal
breathing exercises

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that he had been doing for years

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and focusing and visualizing
his foot being healed.

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And over a month and a half...

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...it did get better.

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The skin healed completely.

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The "irreparable damage,"

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that he was not supposed
to come back from, was gone.

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(exclaiming)

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SHATNER:
Is it really possible

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that Wim Hof is simply
using his mind

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to perform these
superhuman feats?

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While that idea
may sound far-fetched,

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Wim is just the latest
in a long line of people

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possessing such
remarkable abilities.

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The concepts
that Wim Hof is using

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go back to ancient yogic

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practices within Vedic
or Hindu tradition...

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...that are sometimes
called siddhis.

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For example,
in yogic literature,

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you will find records of

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different yogis or meditators

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who are able to lift
enormous weights...

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...or go for extraordinary
periods of time

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without food, without water,

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without breathing.

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There are some yogic traditions

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in which people are able
to pierce the body

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or lay on beds of nails

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or walk across coals
without experiencing pain

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or without being
disabled by injury.

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Could the ability
to suppress pain

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or even to heal our bodies

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be connected to our thoughts?

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It's an exciting notion.

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And it also makes you wonder

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is it possible for anyone
to unlock such powers?

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I don't think
everything Wim does

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can be explained by science...

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yet.

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But he is superhuman,

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in a way that
he challenges us to

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find that part in us, too.

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HOF: We have a much more
possible control

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over our mind and body

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than meets the eye.

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We can learn to raise
our capacity to endure

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pain and to tackle
biological stress.

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And that is there for anybody.

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Through your mind,
you are able to go

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further than you have ever
been before.

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So, if we all just figured out

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how to unlock
the power of our minds,

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would there be no limit
to what our bodies could do?

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Well, what if I told you
there are people out there

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who can push themselves
to run hundreds of miles

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without stopping?

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SHATNER:
In this small town,
in the heart of Marin County,

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lives world-renowned
ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes.

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And by all accounts,

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he was born to run.

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My earliest
childhood recollections

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are running home from school
when I was in kindergarten.

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Uh, literally, I remember
sitting in the classroom

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just waiting
for the bell to ring.

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And as soon as
that jingle went off,

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I was out of there.

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I felt like, when I was running,

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I felt most alive,
like, most complete.

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It's hard to describe,
but I just remember the way

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the air used to feel on my skin

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and the leaves changing color.

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I just started relating
to the world through running.

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LUKE:
Dean's somewhat of an icon
in the running community

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in the sense that he can do
things other people can't.

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Dean's definitely a superman

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in terms of being able
to run long distances

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repetitive days, back-to-back.

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SHATNER:
Among Dean's many

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record-breaking
running achievements

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are completing 50 marathons
in 50 consecutive days,

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running 135 miles
across Death Valley--

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one of the hottest
regions on Earth--

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and accomplishing
a 75-day, 3,000-mile run

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across
the entire United States.

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But perhaps his most
incredible achievement

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occurred on
October 12, 2005...

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...when Dean ran 350 miles
without stopping.

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I think I decided to run 350
miles nonstop out of curiosity.

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I want wanted to see

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how far I could push
my body and my mind.

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And I completed it.

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It took me 80 hours and 44
minutes of continuous running.

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Three days straight without
stopping to eat or sleep.

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SHATNER:
Dean's feats are astounding,

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and he's arguably the greatest
athlete in the history

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of what is called ultrarunning.

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MAGNESS:
Ultrarunning is
any distance running

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that goes further
than the marathon.

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So it could be
anything from 30 miles

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all the way up to races

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that are hundreds or even
thousands of miles.

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The six-day race
was the precursor

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to modern ultramarathon running.

257
00:13:23,167 --> 00:13:26,542
It originated in
the 1700s in England.

258
00:13:26,708 --> 00:13:28,208
These athletes tried to cover

259
00:13:28,375 --> 00:13:31,958
as much distance as they
possibly could in six days.

260
00:13:32,042 --> 00:13:35,167
So they would sleep
as little as possible,

261
00:13:35,333 --> 00:13:39,167
often only getting an hour
or two of sleep during each day,

262
00:13:39,292 --> 00:13:42,042
to try and cover as much
distance as possible.

263
00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:46,333
Early on, these athletes
would run 400 and 500 miles.

264
00:13:47,417 --> 00:13:51,167
But in 1888 George Littlewood
set a new record

265
00:13:51,292 --> 00:13:55,000
for the six-day challenge,
covering 623 miles.

266
00:13:55,125 --> 00:13:59,917
So that's over 100 miles
a day of running or walking.

267
00:14:00,875 --> 00:14:02,708
That was so good

268
00:14:02,833 --> 00:14:05,417
that that record
almost stood 100 years,

269
00:14:05,542 --> 00:14:07,333
until Yiannis Kouros,

270
00:14:07,458 --> 00:14:09,417
a Greek runner
who was one of the best

271
00:14:09,542 --> 00:14:12,542
ultrarunners in history,
finally broke it.

272
00:14:12,667 --> 00:14:16,167
So that gives you an indication
of how good these athletes are.

273
00:14:18,042 --> 00:14:19,500
SHATNER:
But it's not just athletes

274
00:14:19,625 --> 00:14:23,042
who choose to run
such mind-boggling distances.

275
00:14:23,208 --> 00:14:25,958
In fact, there's
an entire community

276
00:14:26,042 --> 00:14:29,292
that runs just as far
as ultramarathoners do...

277
00:14:30,542 --> 00:14:34,500
...and they've been doing it
for thousands of years.

278
00:14:40,292 --> 00:14:43,708
Here in this harsh region
of 10,000 foot plateaus,

279
00:14:43,833 --> 00:14:46,833
far from modern civilization,

280
00:14:46,958 --> 00:14:50,583
live a group of people
known as the Rarámuri.

281
00:14:52,125 --> 00:14:53,708
Descended from
a prehistoric society

282
00:14:53,833 --> 00:14:55,375
of foragers and hunters,

283
00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:59,500
the Rarámuri still live in
relatively primitive conditions.

284
00:14:59,583 --> 00:15:04,792
But incredibly, they possess
a unique ability to run

285
00:15:04,875 --> 00:15:08,042
for hundreds of miles
in a single day.

286
00:15:08,167 --> 00:15:11,500
TOK THOMPSON:
The name Rarámuri
seems to be derived from

287
00:15:11,625 --> 00:15:13,833
meaning "those who run fast."

288
00:15:13,917 --> 00:15:16,833
So, not surprisingly,
the Rarámuri are known

289
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,083
as exceptional
long-distance runners,

290
00:15:19,208 --> 00:15:21,667
far in excess of
what most people think

291
00:15:21,750 --> 00:15:23,333
people should be able to do.

292
00:15:24,583 --> 00:15:26,667
They have running competitions
and running rituals

293
00:15:26,792 --> 00:15:30,375
that would put a lot of other
long-distance runners to shame.

294
00:15:31,417 --> 00:15:33,750
They don't have
the modern accoutrements

295
00:15:33,875 --> 00:15:34,958
or modern sneakers.

296
00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:36,500
They tend to run
in either sandals

297
00:15:36,625 --> 00:15:38,167
or barefoot.

298
00:15:38,292 --> 00:15:42,250
And they do this as a big
part of their culture.

299
00:15:44,792 --> 00:15:46,250
SHATNER:
Since the dawn of mankind,

300
00:15:46,375 --> 00:15:48,458
our ability to run
for a long period of time

301
00:15:48,583 --> 00:15:51,375
has given humans
a great advantage...

302
00:15:52,708 --> 00:15:54,833
...especially when it came to
hunting and searching for food.

303
00:15:54,917 --> 00:15:58,000
THOMPSON:
Humans are one of the best
long-distance runners

304
00:15:58,167 --> 00:15:59,708
in the entire animal kingdom.

305
00:15:59,875 --> 00:16:04,958
We could actually run down
things like deer and antelope.

306
00:16:05,042 --> 00:16:07,125
We're not as fast
in the short run,

307
00:16:07,208 --> 00:16:09,000
but in terms of
long-distance running,

308
00:16:09,083 --> 00:16:11,208
a human being could,
theoretically,

309
00:16:11,333 --> 00:16:14,208
run down just about
any animal on Earth.

310
00:16:15,708 --> 00:16:17,292
SHATNER:
In ancient times,

311
00:16:17,417 --> 00:16:21,042
running was not only used
as a means of stalking prey.

312
00:16:21,167 --> 00:16:25,667
It was also a method
of long-range communication.

313
00:16:27,042 --> 00:16:29,583
MAGNESS:
Running served a vital purpose
for the Ancient Greeks.

314
00:16:29,708 --> 00:16:32,500
They served as couriers
or messengers.

315
00:16:32,583 --> 00:16:35,042
They were essentially
the ancient mail system

316
00:16:35,208 --> 00:16:36,833
for the Greeks,

317
00:16:36,958 --> 00:16:41,708
and it was vital for military
strategy in particular.

318
00:16:43,208 --> 00:16:46,833
RIC RADER:
In antiquity, the best way
to convey messages,

319
00:16:46,958 --> 00:16:48,833
especially matters of war,

320
00:16:48,958 --> 00:16:50,667
matters of religion,
and so forth,

321
00:16:50,792 --> 00:16:53,250
was to send a "hemerodromos."

322
00:16:53,375 --> 00:16:55,583
So that's the Greek word
for a day runner.

323
00:16:55,708 --> 00:16:57,500
It was a special class

324
00:16:57,667 --> 00:17:02,208
of people specifically trained
for this and specifically

325
00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:04,500
equipped physiologically

326
00:17:04,583 --> 00:17:07,583
not only to deliver a message
in a timely fashion,

327
00:17:07,708 --> 00:17:08,917
but to do it

328
00:17:09,042 --> 00:17:12,125
over very rugged terrain,

329
00:17:12,250 --> 00:17:13,750
over several hundred miles.

330
00:17:15,042 --> 00:17:16,500
So, in that regard,

331
00:17:16,625 --> 00:17:20,000
the extent to which
the hemerodromos can perform

332
00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:22,167
these amazing feats
would suggest

333
00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:25,708
that it requires a kind of
superhuman ability.

334
00:17:27,042 --> 00:17:29,000
SHATNER:
In the case of Dean Karnazes,

335
00:17:29,167 --> 00:17:31,750
his superhuman running ability

336
00:17:31,875 --> 00:17:36,167
may be due to the fact that he
is actually of Greek descent.

337
00:17:36,292 --> 00:17:39,417
KARNAZES:
I think my ability
to run long distances

338
00:17:39,542 --> 00:17:41,708
is influenced, definitely,
by my Greek heritage.

339
00:17:41,833 --> 00:17:43,458
I'm 100% Greek

340
00:17:43,542 --> 00:17:45,042
and Greece is the birthplace
of long-distance running,

341
00:17:45,208 --> 00:17:46,667
and I've known that
for a long time.

342
00:17:48,208 --> 00:17:50,458
I think I have
the natural ability

343
00:17:50,583 --> 00:17:53,792
to run long distances
from my heritage.

344
00:17:53,917 --> 00:17:56,000
But having the will
to do it is another thing.

345
00:17:56,083 --> 00:17:58,792
And I think I just have
the will to do it.

346
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,750
Is the ability to run for days
on end actually hereditary?

347
00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:06,500
Well, even if that's true,

348
00:18:06,667 --> 00:18:10,583
it doesn't explain
another superhuman ability:

349
00:18:10,708 --> 00:18:13,833
the ability to swim
hundreds of feet underwater

350
00:18:13,958 --> 00:18:16,292
without taking a single breath.

351
00:18:24,542 --> 00:18:26,625
SHATNER: Lying within
the coastal mountains

352
00:18:26,708 --> 00:18:28,167
of this frigid landscape

353
00:18:28,292 --> 00:18:29,917
is Lake Qorlortoq.

354
00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:33,500
Covered beneath
a million tons of ice,

355
00:18:33,625 --> 00:18:36,708
its crystal blue waters hover
at a hypothermia-inducing

356
00:18:36,875 --> 00:18:38,833
33 degrees Fahrenheit.

357
00:18:38,917 --> 00:18:40,792
One degree above freezing.

358
00:18:42,125 --> 00:18:44,292
Wearing only
a pair of swim trunks,

359
00:18:44,417 --> 00:18:48,333
four-time world champion
free diver Stig Severinsen

360
00:18:48,458 --> 00:18:50,333
plunges into the icy water

361
00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:52,917
in an attempt
to set a new record

362
00:18:53,042 --> 00:18:55,583
for the longest swim under ice.

363
00:18:57,208 --> 00:19:00,125
Without an oxygen tank
and unable to surface,

364
00:19:00,208 --> 00:19:03,000
he risks unconsciousness
and death

365
00:19:03,125 --> 00:19:06,583
as he swims 250 feet underwater,

366
00:19:06,708 --> 00:19:10,333
or nearly the length
of a football field.

367
00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:12,917
SEVERINSEN:
When most people

368
00:19:13,042 --> 00:19:14,542
jump in ice-cold water...

369
00:19:14,667 --> 00:19:17,750
(snorting) ...they start
gasping and they panic.

370
00:19:19,083 --> 00:19:20,167
Within minutes,

371
00:19:20,292 --> 00:19:23,167
you become icy cold to the core,

372
00:19:23,250 --> 00:19:27,125
and your body can
simply shut down.

373
00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:30,042
I understand that people
think it's crazy or wild

374
00:19:30,208 --> 00:19:32,000
or stupid, even.

375
00:19:32,083 --> 00:19:33,917
You know? Unbelievable.

376
00:19:34,042 --> 00:19:35,333
But I love to challenge science.

377
00:19:35,458 --> 00:19:37,792
I love to challenge
the human physiology.

378
00:19:37,917 --> 00:19:39,333
Human potential.

379
00:19:44,542 --> 00:19:46,208
-That is great.
-Wow.

380
00:19:46,333 --> 00:19:48,333
SHATNER:
Stig's swim beneath the ice

381
00:19:48,458 --> 00:19:51,333
wasn't the first time
he went to extremes.

382
00:19:53,708 --> 00:19:56,917
In May of 2012,
he also held his breath

383
00:19:57,042 --> 00:20:00,750
for an astonishing 22 minutes.

384
00:20:00,875 --> 00:20:04,250
But what would compel someone
to push themselves to the limit,

385
00:20:04,375 --> 00:20:07,417
risking death
just to pull off a stunt?

386
00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:09,625
HOROWITZ:
Some of us

387
00:20:09,708 --> 00:20:12,208
seem to be hardwired
to push the limits.

388
00:20:12,333 --> 00:20:15,000
Some of us seem to crave

389
00:20:15,125 --> 00:20:19,250
excitement, intensity, euphoria.

390
00:20:19,375 --> 00:20:22,875
There seem to be
a certain fraction of people

391
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,458
in need of physical activities

392
00:20:26,542 --> 00:20:29,333
or other kinds of activities
that push the limits of

393
00:20:29,417 --> 00:20:32,667
safety or human possibility
or perseverance.

394
00:20:32,792 --> 00:20:36,458
Now, it's a question
as to whether

395
00:20:36,542 --> 00:20:38,500
these people are
seeking euphoria

396
00:20:38,667 --> 00:20:41,708
or whether they're seeking
some greater,

397
00:20:41,833 --> 00:20:43,833
more visceral connection
with themselves.

398
00:20:45,042 --> 00:20:48,875
Humans have this drive
and this need to seek novelty,

399
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,542
to see what's on
the other side of the unknown.

400
00:20:52,667 --> 00:20:56,500
And it's something that is
incredibly dangerous,

401
00:20:56,625 --> 00:21:01,667
but also makes us able to do
insanely difficult things.

402
00:21:02,833 --> 00:21:04,750
SHATNER: In the late 18th
and early 19th centuries,

403
00:21:04,875 --> 00:21:07,708
a new breed of thrill
seekers popularized

404
00:21:07,833 --> 00:21:11,875
the public display of pushing
the limits of human ability,

405
00:21:12,042 --> 00:21:15,667
risking life and limb to
perform death-defying feats

406
00:21:15,792 --> 00:21:17,833
in pursuit of fame and fortune.

407
00:21:17,958 --> 00:21:20,458
And the first
of these daredevils

408
00:21:20,542 --> 00:21:23,833
was a man named Sam Patch.

409
00:21:23,958 --> 00:21:25,917
DARRIN McMAHON:
Sam Patch was the Evil Knievel

410
00:21:26,042 --> 00:21:27,542
of the early 19th century.

411
00:21:27,667 --> 00:21:29,333
They called him
"the Jersey Jumper,"

412
00:21:29,417 --> 00:21:30,625
"the Yankee Leaper."

413
00:21:30,708 --> 00:21:32,500
He liked to jump off things.

414
00:21:32,667 --> 00:21:37,417
Famously, they had a platform
erected in Niagara Falls

415
00:21:37,542 --> 00:21:39,000
so that he could jump
into the water,

416
00:21:39,083 --> 00:21:43,125
but from a really high level:
75 or 100 feet.

417
00:21:43,208 --> 00:21:45,500
Unfortunately,
it's risky business,

418
00:21:45,583 --> 00:21:48,333
and in 1829, on Friday the 13th,

419
00:21:48,458 --> 00:21:51,833
he either slipped
or fell awkwardly

420
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,417
and didn't go in feet first
as he normally did.

421
00:21:55,625 --> 00:21:57,667
The audience of several
thousand heard a splat,

422
00:21:57,833 --> 00:21:59,542
and he was never
seen from again.

423
00:22:00,875 --> 00:22:02,875
SHATNER:
But Sam Patch's tragic demise

424
00:22:03,042 --> 00:22:06,542
did not deter other
would-be daredevils.

425
00:22:06,667 --> 00:22:09,333
Over the next century,
countless more

426
00:22:09,458 --> 00:22:11,375
followed in his footsteps,

427
00:22:11,542 --> 00:22:14,417
increasing the danger
with every attempt.

428
00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:19,875
Including one who went
to the next level

429
00:22:20,042 --> 00:22:22,417
by taking to the skies.

430
00:22:22,542 --> 00:22:25,250
SCOTT EDEN:
Clem Sohn was an aerialist,

431
00:22:25,375 --> 00:22:29,625
one of the first, maybe
the first to build for himself

432
00:22:29,708 --> 00:22:31,167
a kind of gliding suit.

433
00:22:32,417 --> 00:22:34,000
He would jump out of airplanes

434
00:22:34,125 --> 00:22:38,458
with the wings attached
and a kind of tail structure.

435
00:22:38,542 --> 00:22:41,000
McMAHON:
One of his nicknames
was "the Birdman."

436
00:22:41,083 --> 00:22:43,583
He would glide
for thousands of feet

437
00:22:43,708 --> 00:22:46,167
and then eventually
pull the ripcord

438
00:22:46,292 --> 00:22:48,667
and parachute to safety,

439
00:22:48,750 --> 00:22:51,333
and he did this
on both sides of the Atlantic.

440
00:22:51,458 --> 00:22:54,750
Unfortunately,
outside of Paris in 1937,

441
00:22:54,875 --> 00:22:57,708
in front of a crowd of
as many as 100,000 people...

442
00:22:58,667 --> 00:22:59,875
...he glided through the air,

443
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,750
and then his first chute
failed to open...

444
00:23:04,167 --> 00:23:08,000
...and then the second one,
and he plunged to his death.

445
00:23:14,417 --> 00:23:15,833
SHATNER:
The practice of performing

446
00:23:15,917 --> 00:23:19,000
thrill-seeking feats
is alive and well today,

447
00:23:19,125 --> 00:23:22,333
even if not all daredevils
survive their attempts

448
00:23:22,417 --> 00:23:24,042
to push the limits.

449
00:23:25,208 --> 00:23:27,000
But why do so many human beings

450
00:23:27,083 --> 00:23:29,958
feel the need to pursue
incredible feats,

451
00:23:30,083 --> 00:23:32,583
even if it means
risking our lives?

452
00:23:33,833 --> 00:23:35,708
MAGNESS:
Pushing boundaries
and pushing limits

453
00:23:35,833 --> 00:23:37,750
is part of our human nature.

454
00:23:38,833 --> 00:23:40,792
You would think that
would be counterintuitive.

455
00:23:40,917 --> 00:23:44,500
Seeking pain seems like
not the brightest thing to do

456
00:23:44,625 --> 00:23:47,167
because we're going
against our survival.

457
00:23:48,250 --> 00:23:52,125
If you look at any animal
in the animal kingdom,

458
00:23:52,208 --> 00:23:54,500
none of them really do
things that go against

459
00:23:54,583 --> 00:23:56,167
survival instincts.

460
00:23:56,292 --> 00:23:57,875
They just want to survive.

461
00:23:58,875 --> 00:24:00,542
Human beings,
on the other hand...

462
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,542
...we will seek out
things that put us

463
00:24:04,667 --> 00:24:09,250
at immense risk
and not for any external reward,

464
00:24:09,375 --> 00:24:13,000
but really for the internal
reward of doing it.

465
00:24:13,167 --> 00:24:16,667
Seeking something difficult,
something hard,

466
00:24:16,792 --> 00:24:19,833
often makes people feel alive.

467
00:24:22,208 --> 00:24:25,042
Is it possible that
by risking death,

468
00:24:25,208 --> 00:24:29,917
people can unlock the ability
to perform superhuman feats?

469
00:24:30,042 --> 00:24:32,542
Well, there's a famous story
from American folklore

470
00:24:32,667 --> 00:24:35,500
which suggests
that might be true.

471
00:24:35,667 --> 00:24:38,375
It's the tale of someone
who defied the odds

472
00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:41,042
in a competition that pitted man

473
00:24:41,167 --> 00:24:44,208
against machine.

474
00:24:47,875 --> 00:24:49,667
SHATNER:
For centuries, mankind

475
00:24:49,792 --> 00:24:51,500
has told stories about people

476
00:24:51,667 --> 00:24:54,042
who have the ability
to perform feats

477
00:24:54,167 --> 00:24:58,458
that require extraordinary
physical strength.

478
00:24:58,542 --> 00:25:00,875
But why are
we so fascinated

479
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,667
by these superhuman characters?

480
00:25:04,667 --> 00:25:06,333
LYNNE McNEILL:
We love stories

481
00:25:06,417 --> 00:25:10,875
about humans that push the
boundaries of exceptionalism.

482
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,625
And history is full of
this kind of folk hero...

483
00:25:16,708 --> 00:25:20,083
...who is stronger
than any other human.

484
00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:23,375
We have characters like
Hercules who are half god.

485
00:25:23,542 --> 00:25:25,250
That's the source
of his strength.

486
00:25:26,333 --> 00:25:28,458
There's someone like
Samson, from the Bible,

487
00:25:28,583 --> 00:25:30,500
whose hair gives him strength

488
00:25:30,667 --> 00:25:33,125
beyond what a normal human
might have.

489
00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:36,292
And nowadays,
we have superheroes:

490
00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:41,000
Batman, Spiderman, characters
who similarly are human,

491
00:25:41,083 --> 00:25:44,333
but a little bit better
than other humans.

492
00:25:44,458 --> 00:25:46,667
All these stories

493
00:25:46,792 --> 00:25:50,000
let us talk about
the possibilities

494
00:25:50,083 --> 00:25:52,833
of human endurance
and human capability.

495
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,125
How far can we push ourselves?

496
00:25:55,208 --> 00:25:58,042
How much faster
and stronger can we be?

497
00:26:03,250 --> 00:26:06,833
SHATNER:
Here, at the foot of
the Allegheny Mountains,

498
00:26:06,958 --> 00:26:09,000
lies a decommissioned
railroad tunnel

499
00:26:09,125 --> 00:26:12,375
known as the Great Bend Tunnel.

500
00:26:12,500 --> 00:26:14,500
According to folklore,

501
00:26:14,583 --> 00:26:16,458
this was the site
of a famous legend

502
00:26:16,542 --> 00:26:18,125
from the 1870s

503
00:26:18,250 --> 00:26:20,292
about a superhuman
railroad worker

504
00:26:20,375 --> 00:26:23,458
named John Henry.

505
00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:28,458
TEMPLE:
The legend is that John Henry
was six-six, 280 pounds,

506
00:26:28,583 --> 00:26:30,833
muscular, solid, glistening.

507
00:26:30,958 --> 00:26:33,208
You could see him
half a mile away.

508
00:26:34,417 --> 00:26:36,833
The legend has it that
he was born in enslavement,

509
00:26:36,917 --> 00:26:38,833
and he had all these goals
for his family

510
00:26:38,958 --> 00:26:40,708
coming out of enslavement.

511
00:26:40,875 --> 00:26:42,875
And he says, "I want a good job.

512
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:44,875
I want to provide
for my family."

513
00:26:45,042 --> 00:26:48,833
And he saw the
C&O railroad laying track

514
00:26:48,958 --> 00:26:51,792
and John Henry shows up
and says, "I'm your guy."

515
00:26:53,375 --> 00:26:57,208
The fable has it that any man
who signed up to work

516
00:26:57,333 --> 00:27:02,000
would get 50 acres of land
if they completed the railroad.

517
00:27:02,125 --> 00:27:03,667
And sometimes this railroad

518
00:27:03,750 --> 00:27:05,833
had to be completed
through a mountain.

519
00:27:05,958 --> 00:27:09,125
And so John Henry not simply
laid rail, the railroad track,

520
00:27:09,208 --> 00:27:12,042
but he had to drive
a stake into the rock,

521
00:27:12,208 --> 00:27:15,708
which creates enough space
to then load dynamite.

522
00:27:16,792 --> 00:27:19,000
John Henry was
the best steel driver,

523
00:27:19,083 --> 00:27:22,000
and then here comes a man
with a steam drill.

524
00:27:23,042 --> 00:27:25,708
The legend speaks of
this race taking place

525
00:27:25,833 --> 00:27:28,333
between John Henry
and the machine.

526
00:27:28,458 --> 00:27:30,500
(train whistle blows)

527
00:27:30,667 --> 00:27:32,708
SHATNER:
As the story goes,

528
00:27:32,875 --> 00:27:34,250
there was a competition
between John Henry

529
00:27:34,375 --> 00:27:37,042
and the machine
to see which of them

530
00:27:37,167 --> 00:27:39,333
could drill farthest into
the side of the mountain

531
00:27:39,417 --> 00:27:41,208
in a single day.

532
00:27:41,375 --> 00:27:43,000
During the contest,

533
00:27:43,125 --> 00:27:45,292
the strength of John Henry
was reportedly so powerful,

534
00:27:45,375 --> 00:27:47,667
that the blows from
his twin sledgehammers

535
00:27:47,792 --> 00:27:50,500
shook the mountain itself.

536
00:27:52,375 --> 00:27:53,750
The story is that

537
00:27:53,875 --> 00:27:56,000
the steam drill
only went nine feet.

538
00:27:56,083 --> 00:27:58,375
John Henry went 14.

539
00:27:59,542 --> 00:28:01,667
And so John Henry is superhuman

540
00:28:01,833 --> 00:28:03,167
and more supreme
than the machine.

541
00:28:04,375 --> 00:28:05,625
NAMA: John Henry

542
00:28:05,708 --> 00:28:08,917
beats the machine
in this competition.

543
00:28:10,667 --> 00:28:12,417
But he passes away:

544
00:28:12,542 --> 00:28:14,167
he dies of a heart attack.

545
00:28:15,542 --> 00:28:18,000
He dies from overexertion.

546
00:28:18,125 --> 00:28:20,625
And what we have here

547
00:28:20,708 --> 00:28:24,208
is John Henry
begins to symbolize

548
00:28:24,333 --> 00:28:28,625
this overpowering physique
of a muscleman

549
00:28:28,708 --> 00:28:31,667
and the ability to achieve

550
00:28:31,833 --> 00:28:34,292
in the face of extreme odds.

551
00:28:35,708 --> 00:28:39,458
TEMPLE:
The legend of John Henry
represents this Black man,

552
00:28:39,583 --> 00:28:41,667
this hero who did
superhuman feats,

553
00:28:41,792 --> 00:28:43,542
from the 19th century.

554
00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:47,333
It overshadows the harshness
of the Reconstruction period,

555
00:28:47,458 --> 00:28:48,958
but it also shows us how

556
00:28:49,042 --> 00:28:50,750
Black men who were able-bodied,

557
00:28:50,875 --> 00:28:52,875
who had that spirit of

558
00:28:53,042 --> 00:28:55,375
willing to do anything
they needed to do

559
00:28:55,542 --> 00:28:57,458
to provide for their families.

560
00:28:59,667 --> 00:29:03,917
McNEILL:
Most of us know about
John Henry from a literary work.

561
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,167
Like so many folk heroes

562
00:29:07,292 --> 00:29:10,667
from the same time period
in American history,

563
00:29:10,750 --> 00:29:15,958
Paul Bunyan,
Joe Magarac, Pecos Bill,

564
00:29:16,083 --> 00:29:19,083
they are all compatriots
of John Henry in this

565
00:29:19,208 --> 00:29:22,500
larger-than-life,
super capable

566
00:29:22,583 --> 00:29:25,208
American folk hero model.

567
00:29:25,333 --> 00:29:29,708
And what they capture
is the spirit of industry

568
00:29:29,833 --> 00:29:33,083
that our nation
so badly wanted to embody

569
00:29:33,208 --> 00:29:35,417
and project
to the rest of the world

570
00:29:35,542 --> 00:29:37,000
at this point in history.

571
00:29:37,125 --> 00:29:39,208
(playing "John Henry")

572
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,375
SHATNER:
The legend of John Henry's
battle against the steam drill

573
00:29:45,542 --> 00:29:49,292
was first immortalized in an
African American folk ballad,

574
00:29:49,375 --> 00:29:52,958
and since then,
the inspirational story

575
00:29:53,042 --> 00:29:55,833
has also been celebrated
numerous times

576
00:29:55,958 --> 00:29:59,292
in magazines, plays, and books.

577
00:30:00,958 --> 00:30:02,958
Another superhuman feat
of John Henry

578
00:30:03,083 --> 00:30:05,792
is that he was able
to inspire so many.

579
00:30:05,917 --> 00:30:08,167
And so whether it's inspiring

580
00:30:08,292 --> 00:30:10,583
in terms of actually
working on the railroad

581
00:30:10,708 --> 00:30:14,292
or other industries,
John Henry was a beacon of that.

582
00:30:14,375 --> 00:30:17,000
Also, in terms of him
losing his life,

583
00:30:17,125 --> 00:30:19,083
that's a sacrifice

584
00:30:19,208 --> 00:30:21,958
that those who came
after him could appreciate,

585
00:30:22,083 --> 00:30:25,333
as they strive to be
as good as John Henry.

586
00:30:26,333 --> 00:30:28,250
NAMA:
There also is an overlap,

587
00:30:28,375 --> 00:30:30,417
certainly, with John Henry
and superheroes.

588
00:30:31,875 --> 00:30:36,500
In the early 1990s,
Superman passed away,

589
00:30:36,583 --> 00:30:38,125
and that set up a situation

590
00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:42,000
for the comic book version
of John Henry

591
00:30:42,125 --> 00:30:44,000
to come in and save the day...

592
00:30:45,083 --> 00:30:47,333
...as the character of Steel

593
00:30:47,458 --> 00:30:50,750
in order to save
the citizens of Metropolis.

594
00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:56,167
He builds a suit,
encased in steel,

595
00:30:56,292 --> 00:30:59,417
and carries, of all things--
would you believe it?--

596
00:30:59,542 --> 00:31:01,000
a sledgehammer.

597
00:31:02,083 --> 00:31:03,375
And that speaks
to kind of, like,

598
00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:05,625
the reinterpretation
of John Henry

599
00:31:05,708 --> 00:31:09,375
within the framework of
the superhero afro-futuristic

600
00:31:09,542 --> 00:31:10,958
sci-fi version.

601
00:31:12,417 --> 00:31:16,042
TEMPLE:
The idea that John Henry
is a superhero,

602
00:31:16,208 --> 00:31:20,083
standing firmly in that space
of post-enslavement

603
00:31:20,208 --> 00:31:22,458
and Reconstruction,
is really phenomenal.

604
00:31:22,542 --> 00:31:25,750
The legend of John Henry
proves that human strength

605
00:31:25,875 --> 00:31:28,500
is inherent in all of us.

606
00:31:28,625 --> 00:31:33,750
Was John Henry's victory over
the steam drill just a myth,

607
00:31:33,875 --> 00:31:35,792
or did it actually happen?

608
00:31:35,875 --> 00:31:39,333
Either way, the story suggests
that people can perform

609
00:31:39,417 --> 00:31:43,208
incredible feats when placed
in dire circumstances.

610
00:31:44,208 --> 00:31:45,875
Like in the case
of two teenage girls

611
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,208
who saved their father
from certain death

612
00:31:48,333 --> 00:31:51,250
with a sudden burst
of superhuman strength.

613
00:31:59,250 --> 00:32:02,000
SHATNER:
While clearing the grounds
of his property,

614
00:32:02,083 --> 00:32:04,667
Jeff Smith loops a chain
around a tree stump...

615
00:32:06,208 --> 00:32:08,333
...and attaches
the other end to his tractor.

616
00:32:09,583 --> 00:32:11,292
But when he throws

617
00:32:11,375 --> 00:32:15,208
the 3,000-pound vehicle
into reverse, disaster strikes.

618
00:32:17,875 --> 00:32:19,917
My boots were fairly muddy,

619
00:32:20,042 --> 00:32:22,375
and my foot slipped off
the clutch.

620
00:32:24,583 --> 00:32:28,333
And the whole tractor just
tipped flat back over on me.

621
00:32:28,417 --> 00:32:30,042
Ah!

622
00:32:30,167 --> 00:32:33,167
The steering wheel ended up
burying into my chest

623
00:32:33,292 --> 00:32:36,292
right about where my heart is,

624
00:32:36,417 --> 00:32:39,042
and pinned me in between
the tractor and the ground.

625
00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:42,833
SHATNER:
Pinned beneath
3,000 pounds of steel,

626
00:32:42,958 --> 00:32:44,458
Jeff screams out in agony.

627
00:32:44,583 --> 00:32:46,208
(screams)

628
00:32:46,333 --> 00:32:48,000
His anguished cries
draw the attention

629
00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:50,250
of his teenage daughters,
Hannah and Haylee.

630
00:32:51,500 --> 00:32:54,167
But with the nearest town
20 minutes away, there's no time

631
00:32:54,333 --> 00:32:55,833
to wait for help to arrive.

632
00:32:55,958 --> 00:32:57,458
(groaning)

633
00:32:57,583 --> 00:33:00,500
While my dad was under
the tractor, he was...

634
00:33:00,667 --> 00:33:01,583
He couldn't breathe,

635
00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:03,833
his oxygen was really low.

636
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,042
He kept going in and out
of consciousness.

637
00:33:07,167 --> 00:33:11,292
He was pale,
his lips were kind of blue.

638
00:33:11,375 --> 00:33:13,000
Me and my sister
knew at that point

639
00:33:13,125 --> 00:33:14,500
that we were the only ones

640
00:33:14,625 --> 00:33:16,500
and the only chance
that my dad had.

641
00:33:18,250 --> 00:33:19,292
HAYLEE SMITH:
I was just like

642
00:33:19,417 --> 00:33:22,375
so frozen and just so shocked.

643
00:33:22,542 --> 00:33:24,375
(groaning)

644
00:33:24,542 --> 00:33:27,083
And I go and I look at my dad.

645
00:33:27,208 --> 00:33:30,125
He's just like, could not talk,

646
00:33:30,250 --> 00:33:32,250
and his blood vessels
in his eyes,

647
00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:34,542
you could see them
popping one by one.

648
00:33:34,708 --> 00:33:36,917
And it was just horrible.
I had no idea what to do.

649
00:33:37,042 --> 00:33:39,333
So my sister says...

650
00:33:39,458 --> 00:33:41,667
(sniffles)
"Come help me lift it."

651
00:33:41,833 --> 00:33:43,458
(groaning)

652
00:33:43,542 --> 00:33:46,125
SHATNER:
As their father
gasps for breath,

653
00:33:46,208 --> 00:33:48,000
the two sisters
frantically grab the front

654
00:33:48,083 --> 00:33:50,000
of the massive tractor,

655
00:33:50,167 --> 00:33:52,583
set their heels into the ground,

656
00:33:52,708 --> 00:33:54,458
and lift.

657
00:33:54,583 --> 00:33:55,917
(grunting)

658
00:33:56,042 --> 00:33:57,542
HAYLEE:
When we tried to lift it,

659
00:33:57,667 --> 00:33:59,542
it did not move.

660
00:34:01,167 --> 00:34:03,667
I was just done,
and Hannah was just screaming,

661
00:34:03,750 --> 00:34:05,583
"We have to do it again,
we have to do it again."

662
00:34:07,208 --> 00:34:08,708
And I just remember
putting my hands up,

663
00:34:08,833 --> 00:34:09,625
and I was just like,

664
00:34:09,708 --> 00:34:11,417
"How?"

665
00:34:12,583 --> 00:34:16,125
And she just said, "Count."
And so we counted.

666
00:34:16,208 --> 00:34:18,333
And I just remember thinking,
like, "God, help me.

667
00:34:18,458 --> 00:34:20,167
Give me the strength
to do this."

668
00:34:21,333 --> 00:34:24,667
And she said, "One, two, three"
and we lifted it.

669
00:34:24,792 --> 00:34:27,208
(grunting)

670
00:34:27,375 --> 00:34:29,458
SHATNER:
Together, the two teenage girls

671
00:34:29,542 --> 00:34:32,833
managed to hoist the tractor
one foot off the ground...

672
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,333
(grunting)

673
00:34:35,458 --> 00:34:39,417
...allowing their father enough
room to wiggle out and escape.

674
00:34:41,417 --> 00:34:43,875
My girls lifted
a 3,000-pound tractor off me

675
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,125
and saved my life.

676
00:34:45,250 --> 00:34:47,500
So, I mean,
if my girls had not have

677
00:34:47,625 --> 00:34:50,167
shown that kind of
mysterious strength

678
00:34:50,250 --> 00:34:53,708
of being able to lift that
off my chest...

679
00:34:55,042 --> 00:34:57,375
...I don't think I would have
lasted another five minutes.

680
00:34:57,542 --> 00:34:59,500
What boggles my mind
to this day,

681
00:34:59,667 --> 00:35:03,667
which is almost
ten years later, is that...

682
00:35:03,792 --> 00:35:05,333
they were able to do it.

683
00:35:05,458 --> 00:35:07,750
It's just, to be able to lift
that much weight and...

684
00:35:07,875 --> 00:35:09,583
and save my life is...

685
00:35:10,750 --> 00:35:12,333
...incredible.

686
00:35:12,458 --> 00:35:16,208
It's insane to think that
that was even a possibility.

687
00:35:17,208 --> 00:35:19,250
SHATNER:
How did two teenagers--

688
00:35:19,375 --> 00:35:22,125
each weighing no more
than 125 pounds--

689
00:35:22,250 --> 00:35:25,750
find the strength to lift
a massive tractor?

690
00:35:26,708 --> 00:35:28,667
Scientists believe
the source of their

691
00:35:28,792 --> 00:35:31,333
superhuman strength
may have actually been

692
00:35:31,458 --> 00:35:33,583
a surge of adrenaline.

693
00:35:33,708 --> 00:35:36,625
There's many stories
that you hear about

694
00:35:36,750 --> 00:35:41,375
of people doing superhuman
feats of strength...

695
00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:45,000
...and this usually is
driven by adrenaline.

696
00:35:45,125 --> 00:35:47,000
Adrenaline is that hormone

697
00:35:47,125 --> 00:35:51,000
that can tap into resources
of strength that you might have

698
00:35:51,125 --> 00:35:53,333
when you need it
in that split second

699
00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:56,667
to drive your whole body

700
00:35:56,833 --> 00:35:58,000
to push to the limits

701
00:35:58,083 --> 00:36:01,250
and do whatever is necessary.

702
00:36:02,375 --> 00:36:04,458
You see it in battle.

703
00:36:04,542 --> 00:36:08,333
You hear about it
in an emergency.

704
00:36:08,458 --> 00:36:11,583
Adrenaline can make
the body do amazing things.

705
00:36:13,167 --> 00:36:14,333
SHATNER:
Scientists have been studying

706
00:36:14,417 --> 00:36:16,500
the remarkable
effects of adrenaline

707
00:36:16,583 --> 00:36:19,583
since it was
first discovered in 1901.

708
00:36:20,750 --> 00:36:23,792
McMAHON:
Jokichi Takamine
was a Japanese chemist

709
00:36:23,875 --> 00:36:27,167
who spent most of his career
in the United States,

710
00:36:27,333 --> 00:36:29,667
and he's the first
person to identify,

711
00:36:29,792 --> 00:36:33,292
purify, and eventually
trademark adrenaline.

712
00:36:34,542 --> 00:36:38,458
And he was able to isolate
the naturally occurring hormone

713
00:36:38,583 --> 00:36:40,625
adrenaline in sheep and oxen

714
00:36:40,708 --> 00:36:43,542
and to withdraw it
and to purify it.

715
00:36:44,875 --> 00:36:46,708
EDEN:
Jokichi Takamine described

716
00:36:46,833 --> 00:36:49,333
the whole idea
of the adrenaline rush

717
00:36:49,458 --> 00:36:51,167
as a harnessing of reservoirs

718
00:36:51,292 --> 00:36:53,500
of power and a violent sort of

719
00:36:53,625 --> 00:36:55,875
explosion of energy
that occurs in people

720
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,458
who are in crisis situations.

721
00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:03,500
SHATNER:
Did a rush of adrenaline allow
Hannah and Haylee Smith

722
00:37:03,625 --> 00:37:06,708
to lift a 3,000-pound tractor?

723
00:37:06,833 --> 00:37:09,292
It's a fascinating possibility,

724
00:37:09,375 --> 00:37:12,958
and suggests that we all
have untapped strength

725
00:37:13,042 --> 00:37:15,792
that can be unlocked
at a moment's notice.

726
00:37:16,750 --> 00:37:19,125
JEFF:
I feel like that their love

727
00:37:19,250 --> 00:37:23,125
granted them enough power to be
able to do what they had to do.

728
00:37:23,250 --> 00:37:25,167
But when it comes down to it,

729
00:37:25,250 --> 00:37:26,542
I think everybody's got
a little bit of

730
00:37:26,708 --> 00:37:28,833
that kind of superhuman
ability in them.

731
00:37:28,958 --> 00:37:30,917
It's just a matter
of tapping into it

732
00:37:31,042 --> 00:37:34,417
and finding the right situation
where it drives them to do it.

733
00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:38,500
The idea that
a shot of adrenaline

734
00:37:38,583 --> 00:37:41,375
can give an ordinary person
the ability to perform

735
00:37:41,542 --> 00:37:44,083
remarkable feats is fascinating.

736
00:37:44,208 --> 00:37:47,667
Believe it or not, there are
scientists who are currently

737
00:37:47,833 --> 00:37:52,833
trying to harness
other kinds of natural powers

738
00:37:52,917 --> 00:37:54,667
to turn us all into

739
00:37:54,792 --> 00:37:57,083
superhumans.

740
00:37:57,208 --> 00:37:59,083
♪ ♪

741
00:38:15,750 --> 00:38:17,750
SHATNER: At the University
of Connecticut's

742
00:38:17,875 --> 00:38:20,458
Department of Genetics
and Genome Sciences,

743
00:38:20,583 --> 00:38:23,167
there is a lab that is home to

744
00:38:23,250 --> 00:38:25,583
dozens of genetically
altered mice.

745
00:38:25,708 --> 00:38:28,542
While these rodents might
appear quite ordinary,

746
00:38:28,667 --> 00:38:31,375
their DNA has actually
been modified

747
00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:35,083
to make them 30% stronger
than normal mice.

748
00:38:36,292 --> 00:38:39,333
Researchers have found ways
to increase muscle mass,

749
00:38:39,417 --> 00:38:40,792
muscle tissue

750
00:38:40,875 --> 00:38:44,500
in ordinary mice to demonstrate

751
00:38:44,625 --> 00:38:47,167
extraordinary endurance.

752
00:38:47,333 --> 00:38:50,167
It's a kind of
Mighty Mouse effect.

753
00:38:50,333 --> 00:38:54,458
And so the question becomes
whether this can be translated

754
00:38:54,542 --> 00:38:56,167
to the human form.

755
00:38:56,333 --> 00:38:59,500
The possibility
that DNA manipulation

756
00:38:59,625 --> 00:39:02,917
might enable people to enjoy
heightened strength and stamina

757
00:39:03,042 --> 00:39:04,500
is intriguing.

758
00:39:04,667 --> 00:39:07,000
And in fact, humans
have been searching for ways

759
00:39:07,125 --> 00:39:09,000
to enhance our natural abilities

760
00:39:09,083 --> 00:39:10,667
for thousands of years.

761
00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:12,250
EDEN:
If you go back
to the ancient Greeks,

762
00:39:12,375 --> 00:39:13,667
the original Olympics,

763
00:39:13,792 --> 00:39:16,208
there are historical
records of them

764
00:39:16,333 --> 00:39:18,292
working with wine potions

765
00:39:18,417 --> 00:39:19,750
and various herbs

766
00:39:19,875 --> 00:39:22,292
to give themselves
performance enhancement.

767
00:39:22,375 --> 00:39:23,667
And then, in terms of

768
00:39:23,792 --> 00:39:26,333
modern use of
performance-enhancing drugs,

769
00:39:26,417 --> 00:39:27,542
it's the Cold War.

770
00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:29,167
The Soviet Union had

771
00:39:29,292 --> 00:39:32,333
a massive drug doping program

772
00:39:32,417 --> 00:39:35,708
as part of its sports programs

773
00:39:35,833 --> 00:39:39,500
in efforts to defeat
the West in every level,

774
00:39:39,625 --> 00:39:42,667
militarily as well as in sport.

775
00:39:42,792 --> 00:39:46,500
So the urge to do that,
to outcompete

776
00:39:46,667 --> 00:39:48,500
everyone else
on the playing field

777
00:39:48,667 --> 00:39:50,750
has been with us for,
uh, forever.

778
00:39:52,292 --> 00:39:56,917
HOROWITZ:
Since the early 1980s, the
military has been interested

779
00:39:57,042 --> 00:40:00,750
in researching the creation
of super soldiers...

780
00:40:01,708 --> 00:40:04,375
...using exoskeletons

781
00:40:04,500 --> 00:40:08,125
or robotic assists to limbs,

782
00:40:08,208 --> 00:40:11,250
or using magnetic waves

783
00:40:11,375 --> 00:40:14,667
to help people
overcome the problems

784
00:40:14,792 --> 00:40:18,583
of fatigue associated
with sleep deprivation,

785
00:40:18,708 --> 00:40:21,833
or increasing strength,
increasing sight,

786
00:40:21,958 --> 00:40:25,500
increasing the ability
to see around corners,

787
00:40:25,625 --> 00:40:29,083
see in the dark, see behind you,

788
00:40:29,208 --> 00:40:31,125
to allow them to perform

789
00:40:31,250 --> 00:40:34,917
incredible feats that are
otherwise impossible.

790
00:40:35,042 --> 00:40:37,917
McMAHON:
Our desire always
to improve ourselves

791
00:40:38,042 --> 00:40:40,500
is at the source of
so much of what we do.

792
00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:42,458
At a very elementary level,

793
00:40:42,583 --> 00:40:46,542
human beings want
to distinguish themselves.

794
00:40:46,667 --> 00:40:49,625
We want to do what
others haven't done.

795
00:40:49,750 --> 00:40:52,750
We're always restless,
questing for something else,

796
00:40:52,875 --> 00:40:55,333
pursuing something else,

797
00:40:55,417 --> 00:40:58,542
and it's somewhat of
a perverse need.

798
00:40:59,750 --> 00:41:01,833
SHATNER:
Will technology
push human performance

799
00:41:01,958 --> 00:41:03,833
beyond its natural limits?

800
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,500
Many scientists believe
it's possible.

801
00:41:06,667 --> 00:41:09,167
But the truth is that
human beings already possess

802
00:41:09,292 --> 00:41:11,375
extraordinary capabilities

803
00:41:11,500 --> 00:41:14,917
that we are only beginning
to understand.

804
00:41:15,042 --> 00:41:16,083
LUKE:
I think,

805
00:41:16,208 --> 00:41:17,833
in some cases,

806
00:41:17,958 --> 00:41:19,833
people don't know that they have

807
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:21,833
these talents and capacities...

808
00:41:22,917 --> 00:41:24,833
...until they're put
in the right situation

809
00:41:24,958 --> 00:41:27,042
where they have to call on them.

810
00:41:27,208 --> 00:41:31,500
And as we start understanding
more about the science of genes,

811
00:41:31,625 --> 00:41:35,917
we'll realize that
there may be talents

812
00:41:36,042 --> 00:41:39,375
and potentials
that we can unlock

813
00:41:39,542 --> 00:41:41,250
that we didn't
otherwise know about.

814
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,375
Just when we think we know
the limits of our mental

815
00:41:45,542 --> 00:41:47,167
and physical capabilities,

816
00:41:47,333 --> 00:41:49,417
another extraordinary person

817
00:41:49,542 --> 00:41:51,125
comes along and performs

818
00:41:51,208 --> 00:41:53,500
a superhuman feat
that breaks the boundaries

819
00:41:53,625 --> 00:41:55,250
of what is possible.

820
00:41:55,375 --> 00:41:57,333
So, perhaps in the future,

821
00:41:57,417 --> 00:42:01,708
mankind will unlock even more
incredible abilities

822
00:42:01,833 --> 00:42:04,083
that, for now, remain...

823
00:42:05,458 --> 00:42:06,667
...unexplained.

824
00:42:06,792 --> 00:42:08,167
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