Parasites, bacteria, and viruses have been the scourge of humanity as long as we have been here, but disease has reshaped our history and influenced our evolution. Parasites helped give our immune systems the boost it needed to get up and running, and the humble bacterium has helped dictate the form this planet has taken. Sometimes, it seems that we humans are simply playthings in their hands, but they haven’t just been capricious forces that toss us around like rag dolls. These microorganisms have also done incredible things to help humanity.

10The Viruses We Carried Out Of Africa Helped Us Survive

Thanks to the science of viral molecular genetics, we now know quite a bit about the bugs that infected us along our evolutionary path, and we have found that these hitchhikers have done quite a bit to help us along the way. For example, it was the evolutionary pressure they placed upon our immune system that made it as robust as it is today. Additionally, viruses may have played a role in the loss of specific receptors that we once possessed on the surface of our cells that infectious agents could latch onto and use to cause disease. By ridding the human body of this source of disease, viruses created a safer environment for themselves, benefiting everybody involved.

But they may have also played a role in ensuring that, among competing hominid species, it was Homo sapiens that came out on top. While our species was developing, disease and parasites encouraged genetic diversity and weeded out the unfit. Once the first Homo sapiens left the continent, they brought their infectious agencies and parasites with them. If you’ve read about North American and European smallpox, you know how this goes.

While it wouldn’t have been the only factor, viral parasites would spread to other hominids like Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals), who wouldn’t have had any previous exposure to the new bugs and possessed a nasal structure that was less efficient at filtering air and keeping new viruses at bay. They would have devastated other hominid species, because the bugs were primed to live in similar environments, but the hominids were not primed to receive them. Models have shown that if Neanderthals had a mortality rate only 2 percent higher than humans, it would have been sufficient to cause their extinction after 1,000 years of competition. While disease was doubtless not the only factor, it would have certainly played a large role.

Most models of human disease evolution claim that they mainly evolved during the Neolithic era, after man moved out of Africa and populations increased, so there is some evidence of this selective viral pressure. Many of these early viruses have even been so successful that their genes have literally become a part of our DNA. For example, the human genome has been found to contain genes from the borna virus that were gained about 40 million years ago. In fact, scientists have isolated about 100,000 elements of human DNA that have come from viruses, mostly within what is called our “junk DNA.” The viruses that make up the majority of our junk DNA are called endogenous retroviruses, and they are so much a part of us that a scientist recently brought one “back to life” and even infected hamsters and cats with it.

9Modern-Day Medical Uses Of Leeches And Maggots

For thousands of years, the European leech (Hirudo medicinalis) was used in medicine for bloodletting purposes, treating a wide range of disorders from hemorrhoids to ear infections. The practice goes so far back in time that an Egyptian painting from 1500 B.C. depicts their use. While some nations have never stopped using them, the practice fell out of favor in the Western world with the knowledge of bacteria and subsequent focus on the germ theory for medical treatment.

In the 1970s and 1980s, though, leeches made a comeback. Cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons found that they were an effective method for draining blood from swollen faces, black eyes, limbs, and digits. They are also helpful for reattaching small body parts like ears and flaps of skin, because they draw away blood that could clot and interrupt the healing process. Leeches have saved people from amputations and may even relieve the pain of osteoarthritis. Even veterinarians sometimes use them.

Maggots, on the other hand, are nature’s clean-up crew. They’re great for eating away dead or infected flesh, revealing the healthy tissue below in a process called debridement. They have also been found to be an effective treatment for ulcers, gangrene, skin cancer, and burns, among other things.

Maggots and leeches, as gross as they may be, are so effective that the FDA classified them as the first “live medical items” in 2010, paving the way for an entire industry called biotherapy. An organization called Biotherapeutics Education and Research Foundation (BTERF) has even sprung up to raise awareness of the new uses for these old critters, and there are several companies that sell them.

8Parasites And Our Immune Systems May Have Co-Evolved To Protect Us From Allergies

Researchers studying the effects of gastrointestinal parasites have come up with an astonishing theory: After parasites first colonized our gastrointestinal systems, they evolved over millions of years the ability to suppress our immune systems. At the same time, our own bodies evolved to partially compensate for the effect.

The astonishing part, and what this means for human health, is that once parasites and harmless microorganisms present in water and soil have been largely removed from their natural environment inside of us in developed nations through the use of modern medicine, our immune systems actually overcompensate for their loss, leading to allergies and even increased chances for asthma and eczema.

This “old friends” hypothesis (sometimes referred to as the “hygiene hypothesis,” though it’s actually more of a complementary theory) has gained more support in recent years as we identify new ways microorganisms have helped us survive over the eons. Clinical trials have been conducted using worms to test against multiple sclerosis, IBD, and allergies.

The main proponent of the old friends hypothesis is Graham A.W. Rook of University College London. He first proposed it in 2003, and since then, it has also been proposed as a possible cause of some forms of stress and depression.

Some people have taken the old friends hypothesis to its ultimate logical conclusion that if removing our parasites from society has led to health problems, we should put them back. In 2008, University of Wisconsin professor of neurology John Fleming conducted a clinical study in which he infected multiple sclerosis patients with parasitic worms to test their effectiveness against the disease. Over a period of three months, patients who had an average of 6.6 active lesions around their brain’s nerve cells were reduced to an average of two. When the trial was over, the number of lesions shot back up to 5.8 within two months. In earlier trials, the parasites appeared to have positive effects upon ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease as well.

Parasite therapy is still in the experimental phases, however, and probably has negative effects that outweigh the positive ones. As of now, the FDA has classified the worms as biological products that cannot be sold until proven safe. Only one species, Trichuris suis, has been approved for testing under Investigational New Drug (IND) status.

7Virotherapy

One of the most exciting and promising branches of medicine in recent decades is virotherapy, a biotechnology technique to reprogram viruses to treat disease. In 2005, researchers at UCLA announced that they had turned one of humanity’s deadliest enemies into a cancer-killer when they reprogrammed a modified strain of HIV to hunt down and destroy cancer cells. Around the same time, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota modified the measles virus to do the same.

The technique is similar to the one used to breed genetically engineered plants, in that a virus is used as a gene-delivery vehicle. It has long been recognized as the most efficient means of gene transfer. This system is used for the production of useful proteins in gene therapy and has great potential for the treatment of immunological disorders such as hepatitis and HIV.

Viruses have been known to have the potential to treat cancer since the 1950s, but the advent of chemotherapy slowed its progress. Today, virotherapy is proving to be extremely effective against tumors without harming the healthy cells around it. Clinical trials of oncolytic virotheraphy have shown low toxicity and promising signs of efficacy. In 2013, a drug called talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) became the first drug based on a tumor-killing virus to succeed in late-stage testing.

One of the biggest challenges facing researchers is how to deliver the virus where it will do the most good before the body recognizes it as an intruder and mounts a defense. Current research is looking into finding natural tumor-targeting “carriers,” cells that can deliver the virus without either the cell or the virus losing its normal biological functions.

6Using Viruses To Cure Bacterial Infections

Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically attack bacteria. First recognized by Frederick Twort in 1915 and Felix d’Herelle two years later, they have been used to study many aspects of viruses since the 1930s. They are especially common in soil, where many species of bacteria make their home.

Because phages disrupt the metabolism of bacteria and destroy them, it has been long recognized that they could play a role in treating a wide range of bacterial diseases. Because of the innovation of antiobiotics, though, phage therapy was mostly shelved until the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria generated a renewed interest in the field.

An individual phage species is generally only effective against a small range of bacteria or even one specific species (its primary host species), which was originally seen as a disadvantage. As we have learned more about the beneficial aspects of our natural flora, though, it has come to be recognized as the advantage that it is. Unlike antibiotics, which tend to kill bacteria indiscriminately, bacteriophages can attack the disease-causing organisms without harming any other bacteria living inside us.

While bacteria can develop resistance to both antibiotics and phages, it only takes a few weeks rather than a few years to develop new strains of phages. Phages can also have an easier time penetrating the body and locating their target, and once the target bacterium is destroyed, they stop reproducing and soon die out.

5Vaccines

Beginning in the 1790s, when Edward Jenner developed the world’s first vaccine against smallpox using a less virulent strain called cowpox to inoculate patients, vaccines have saved countless millions of lives. Since then, several different types of vaccines have been developed. Attenuated or “live” vaccines use live viruses that have been weakened or altered so that they do not cause illness, while inactivated or “killed” vaccines contain dead microorganisms or toxins that are usually used against bacterial infections. Some vaccines—including subunit and conjugate vaccines, as well as recombinant and genetically engineered vaccines—only use a segment of the infectious agent.

When a vaccine is injected, the pathogen goes to work, but there is not enough of it to replicate at the rate it needs to in order to take hold. The body mounts an immune response, killing the pathogen or breaking down the toxin responsible for disease. The body’s immune system now knows how to fight the disease and will “remember” if it comes across it again. In other words, scientists have figured out how to get a pathogen to help its own target defend itself against it. They have even taken the first steps toward developing vaccines for several forms of cancer, with three vaccines approved by the FDA for the hepatitis B virus (which causes liver cancer), human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 (which cause cervical cancers), and metastatic prostate cancer in some men.

Thanks to vaccines, several diseases have been driven to virtual extinction. Smallpox is the most famous example, but polio, though not totally eradicated, comes in at a close second. Several other diseases might be gone by now if vaccines weren’t so hard to come by in the underdeveloped nations that still struggle with them. Things are getting worse instead of better, with diseases coming in from an unexpected source: affluent, educated Westerners who should know better.

Unfortunately, the anti-vaccination movement is making a comeback in regions where these diseases were once under control. Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, approximately 500,000 people per year were infected in the US, 500 of whom—mostly children—ended up dead. By 1983, there were only 1,497 cases reported, and after a brief resurgence in the ’80s and ’90s, reported cases were down to just 37 in 2004. After the anti-vaccination movement began gaining traction, 118 cases were reported in the US alone in 2011. That number keeps growing, fed by travelers coming in from areas with higher rates and finding less resistance. Whooping cough, once thought to be gone forever in the US, is also on the rise.

4Bacterial Waste Breakdown

Some of the smallest and simplest of creatures on Earth play some of the most important roles in safeguarding all of life. Bacteria have perhaps the most important role of all: breaking down and recycling waste.

The dead remains of animals and plants, along with the excrement of all organisms, contain vital nutrients and stored energy. Without a way to reclaim these nutrients, though, the available sources would be quickly depleted. Luckily, many bacterial species feed upon these energy sources, breaking them down to their smallest molecules and returning them to the soil, where they reenter the food chain.

As helpful as this process already is, humans have found many ways to exploit it for a variety of even more advantages. Bacteria are used in sewage treatment, industrial waste management, and the clean-up of oil spills, leaked pharmaceuticals, and wastewater. They have also been useful in the development of aqua-farming, algae control, and waterless toilets. Researchers and engineers are currently looking into their potential use in the production of environmentally friendly bioplastics, glues, and building materials. They may even be used to break down plastic waste.

3We Would Quickly Die Without Our Gut Bacteria

Poorly understood until recently (and there is still quite a bit of research to be done), the natural bacteria that lives in our guts works with our immune system to drive out pathogens, produce vitamin K, stimulate peristalsis, and perhaps most importantly, digest our food. Without our gut bacteria, we wouldn’t be able to perform any of these functions, and we would quickly die.

The more we learn about beneficial strains of gut bacteria, the more we can incorporate that knowledge into healthy living. After it was determined that certain gut bacteria can play a role in obesity, probiotics became all the rage. Probiotics are the bacteria that reside in fermented foods and are now sold as supplements. Bacteria like some species of bifidobacteria, found in most yogurts, can create a highly acidic environment in which less-beneficial microorganisms cannot survive. Fatty foods and stress can also play a role in the health of our stomach flora, killing beneficial bacteria while favoring the more harmful kind that cause gas, bloating, and “leaky gut syndrome.”

In a huge breakthrough in the study of our gut bacteria and what they do, a team of Chinese and Danish researchers have recently developed a new way to identify these microorganisms using DNA sequence data. They identified over 500 species of benign bacteria and 800 new species of viruses that could live off them, providing hope for new ways to treat diseases associated with them, such as diabetes, obesity, and asthma.

2Skin Bacteria Serve As Our First Line Of Immune System Defense

The moment you emerged from your mother’s womb, you were set upon. They ambushed you in mere moments and colonized every inch of your skin, and they have been with you ever since. They are prokaryotes and other bacteria, and without the evolutionary partnership humans forged with them millions of years ago, you would have been dead soon after being born.

One of the most common skin bacteria is Staphlococcus epidermis, a bug that we now know plays a role in fighting off Leishmania major, the cause of a nasty disease called leishmaniasis that results in skin boils and open sores that don’t heal. The good bug triggers an immune response called IL-1 that the body can’t produce on its own, making Staphlococcus a necessary part of the human body, as vital to our existence as any organ.

Prokaryotes, which also colonize the digestive tract, cover every exterior surface on the skin. Along with the rest of our beneficial skin microbiota, they became a part of us when they started competing against less-benevolent microorganisms for real estate. Along with the immune cells in our skin, they protect us against both pathogenic bacteria and opportunistic fungi that try to invade. This allows our bodies to spend less energy defending our exteriors and focus more on things like fighting viruses and precancerous cells.

While there is still much to learn before we can really use this knowledge in our health regimens, we are already looking to a future that involves the purposeful use of skin bacteria. A start-up based in Massachusetts called AOBiome, for example, has created a body spray made of live cultured chemoautotrophic bacteria called Nitrosomonas. They claim that their spray can “replenish healthy skin bacteria” and even replace showering, as the bacteria live off the ammonia in our sweat.

1Life As We Know It Wouldn’t Be Here Without Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are possibly the oldest still-living species on Earth, with fossils dating back 3.5 billion years. They are unicellular bacteria that grow in colonies, and if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be here, and neither would nearly every other form of life.

Cyanobacteria were the world’s first photosynthesizers. They used energy from the sun along with chemicals in primordial oceans and inert nitrogen in the atmosphere to make their food. As a waste product, they generated oxygen, a poison to virtually every other form of life at that time and the cause of early mass extinction events. Over a period of roughly 300 million years, all this oxygen generation helped form the atmosphere as we know it, during the Archaean and Proterozoic eras.

That wasn’t the only way this bacteria kick-started life as we know it. Sometime during the Proterozoic or early Cambrian era, they formed a symbiotic relationship with certain eukaryote cells, making food for the cell in return for a stable environment to call home. These were the first plants, as well as the origin of eukaryotic mitochondria, which is essential for animal life. This truly titanic event is now known as endosymbiosis.

While several forms of cyanobacteria are toxic, a species named Spirulina was an important food source for the Aztecs and eaten regularly by many Asian nations. Today, it is often sold in powder or tablet form as a health food supplement.

Lance LeClaire is a freelance artist and writer. He writes on subjects ranging from science and skepticism to religious history and issues to unexplained mysteries and historical oddities, among other subjects. You can look him up on Facebook.

Those with a strong belief in the paranormal often speak of a thin veil between our world and the dark “realm” of spirits, ghosts, and other unearthly beings. Some claim to possess the ability to lift the veil—especially during certain times of the year or on “special” days—and see into the spectral beyond.

Others insist that they are more sensitive to spirits in specific locations around the world. In fact, some individuals maintain that paranormal entities such as ghosts never cross over to other realms. Instead, they spend their afterlives on Earth with only a select few of the living aware of their presence.

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10 Women At The Crossroads

Should you find yourself in Mexico on traditional feast days, it would serve you well to avoid all crossroads around midnight. It is said that the Aztec Cihuateteo lie in wait at crossroads on these days. They hope to grab their next victim and mercilessly inflict illness, paralysis, or seizures.^[1]

It is believed that the Aztec Cihuateteo are the spirits of women who died during childbirth and that young children are their favorite victims. If a child does not cross their path during feast days, they settle for men they can seduce. Then the Cihuateteo show their true forms—skeleton faces, claws in place of hands, and horned headdresses. They are also naked from the waist up.

As the ancient Aztecs looked upon women who died during labor and birth as fallen warriors, the Aztecs gave these women permission to enter the Heaven of the Sun, where they remained for four years. Once these years had passed, the women made the clouds their home and were turned into Cihuateteo.

9 The Shackled Murderer

Moscow has its own dark side consisting of vindictive spirits, headless spooks, and vengeful specters that appear just before terrible events occur. Once of these restless ghosts can be found on the Gorky Highway.

It is alleged that a murderer was marching along in a penal convoy en route to a Siberian penal colony. He did not survive the trip. As there was no time to bury him, his body was simply left at the side of the road.

Many drivers claimed to have encountered the spirit of the murderer on the side of the road. He has a beard and is dressed like a homeless man. He also walks as though his feet are still shackled.

If a driver stops next to the apparition, he will be asked to “forgive me.” If the motorist does not reply with “God will forgive you” and drive away without looking back, the ghost will drag the motorist into the afterlife.^[2]

8 Creepy Kids In Your Home

In Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, stands the now-derelict shell of what used to be Kempton Park Hospital (later known as Kyalami Hospital). For reasons still unclear, the hospital was completely abandoned and shut down on Boxing Day 1996. All patient files and medical equipment were left inside the hospital where they can still be found today.

Those who love a thrill often visit the spooky building in search of ghosts. Residents of the surrounding neighborhood, however, do not have to step on the hospital grounds to encounter some of its creepy inhabitants.

One family claimed to have experienced poltergeist activity in their home, while others have watched in fear as their curtains opened and closed of their own accord and doors slammed for no earthly reason.^[3]

Yet another family is said to have found small, wet footprints trailing throughout their home. Meanwhile, a married couple in the area claims to have entered their children’s bedrooms only to find unfamiliar youngsters playing with toys and looking up at the adults with blank eyes. The spooky children vanished soon after being discovered.

The high number of creepy-kid hauntings in the area is attributed to a “doctor” who managed to successfully fake being a qualified pediatrician at the hospital before being caught. Unfortunately, several young children and babies died before he was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May 1992.

7 The Wailer That Will Blind You

An old Mongolian legend says that a nomadic traveler died long ago after being overcome by hunger and thirst as he tried to cross the Gobi Desert. His spirit never left the vast arid landscape and still wails loudly, lamenting his fate.

Those who wish to visit or travel through the Gobi Desert are warned to avoid laying eyes upon the deceased traveler, better known as the Gobi Desert Wailer, if they hear his mournful cries. It is said that any living person who looks at the Wailer will start bleeding from the eyes and become blind.

An unnamed victim claimed to have looked at the Wailer, saying that he saw a gaunt spirit with empty eye sockets who wore frayed clothing. Soon after he saw the apparition, blood started streaming from the victim’s eyes and he became blind.^[4]

6 The Goat-Legged Woman

The story of Aisha Kandisha is said to be the Moroccan version of the popular Bloody Mary legend. There are several versions of the tale, but it is widely claimed that Aisha Kandisha appears near water sources. She uses magic to look beautiful so that she can lure men to her before driving them insane or killing them.^[5]

Whereas Bloody Mary can be summoned by whispering her name three times in a dark room, Aisha Kandisha will appear if you pour boiling water down a drain. She also materializes in other forms, such as a freaky-looking mermaid or a topless woman with the legs of a goat.

Before she attacks and possesses unsuspecting men, she turns into an ugly old witch. Men who survive the attack become impotent and severely depressed.

If you gaze into a body of water in Morocco, you might just see Aisha Kandisha staring back at you. Also, if you hear chains rattling along the ground, you’d better get out of there immediately. The sound of chains is believed to announce Aisha’s presence in the vicinity.

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5 The Woman In The Black Sari

In Jammu and Kashmir lies the Jawahar Tunnel (aka the Banihal Tunnel). Before you get to the tunnel, you must travel along the Khooni Nala stretch of road. It is infamous for a high number of accidents resulting in driver and passenger deaths.

There is also the danger of boulders falling onto vehicles from the mountains alongside the road. A steel mesh structure has been erected to protect motorists. But another threat lurks, and there is seemingly no protection against it.^[6]

Some travelers claim to have seen a woman wearing a black sari and carrying a baby. The woman stands on the side of the road, flags down drivers, and asks for a lift. If a driver refuses, he is instantly cursed by the woman and will soon die in a car accident.

4 Dead Sailors Looking For A Place To Stay

Many people consider the isolated Sandwood Bay to be the most beautiful beach in Scotland, if not the whole of Britain. It lies 6.4 kilometers (4 mi) from the nearest parking area and is flanked by massive sand dunes and a freshwater loch. Its coastline is believed to be one of the earliest inhabited areas of Scotland.

Sandwood Bay is also considered by some to be Britain’s most haunted beach. A multitude of ships wrecked off its shores in the absence of a lighthouse, and many sailors’ lives were lost. A lighthouse was eventually constructed at Cape Wrath during the early 19th century.^[7]

Between the beach and Sandwood Loch stand the ruined remains of Sandwood Bay Cottage. A long time ago, when the cottage was still in use, inhabitants would be awakened on stormy nights by the sound of a ghostly sailor knocking on the windows.

An old fisherman claimed to have seen the face of a bearded sailor looking at him through the window after he heard footsteps approaching the little cottage. Some believe that the bearded sailor is the restless spirit of local hermit James McRory Smith who lived in the area for 32 years.

Other guests at the cottage have awakened to the walls shaking as a herd of wild phantom horses stamped their hooves and stormed past the cottage.

3 Specters That Rise From The Mist

The city of Kilkenny in Ireland has been named one of the five most haunted places in Europe. The iconic Foulksrath Castle is reportedly so haunted that ghost hunters from BBC arrived in 1992 to see if they could catch some specters in action.

Other haunted sites include the stone tombs of the Black Abbey, Rothe House, and the Kilkenny Prison. Kilkenny is also believed to be the site of Ireland’s first witch trial.^[8]

The creepiest story, however, tells of a flood that occurred in the area in 1763. Sixteen people lost their lives after falling into the River Nore when a bridge collapsed beneath their feet because of the swollen floodwaters.

In modern times, locals and tourists have reported seeing specters float in the mist covering the River Nore as the Sun rises above it.

2 The Girl From The Gap

Gaps in wardrobe doors, in drawers, and between walls are common in houses, especially older ones. While most simply need fixing up, it is believed that an evil spirit takes up residence in a gap in a Japanese home. The spirit takes the form of a little girl who is always seeking a playmate.^[9]

Once an inhabitant or visitor notices the little girl’s eyes watching from a gap inside the house, the spirit will ask whether the person wants to play hide-and-seek. Whether or not the invitation is accepted, the person will be dragged into another dimension if he or she looks at the girl a second time. That other dimension is believed to be Hell, and the unfortunate person will never be seen again.

1 The Hopping Jungle Spirit

Although Thailand is most popular among tourists for its breathtaking beaches and mesmerizing architecture, the country also has magnificent jungles filled with diverse plant and animal life and jaw-dropping waterfalls. These jungles call out to the adventurous and those who love camping.

If you are lucky enough to visit these wilderness areas, make sure you look out for Phi Kong Koi. This Thai jungle ghost hops around on one leg and shouts, “Koi, Koi, Koi.”

Those who have encountered the ghost report that it is very ugly with a bulging belly. It hunts down campers and other travelers who stay overnight in the jungle. That way, it can suck blood from their toes while they sleep. Crossing your feet or keeping them together is said to provide protection against the Phi Kong Koi.^[10]

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10. Supertaster

This superpower should be pretty self-explanatory: it’s a heightened sense of taste. The reason some people taste flavors stronger is simply because they have more taste buds. These extra taste buds make them sensitive to flavor, and as a result, they have strong likes or dislikes for certain foods like broccoli, cabbage, spinach, coffee, and grapefruit.

About 25 percent of people in the world are supertasters, while 50 percent are medium tasters and at the complete opposite end of the spectrum are non-tasters, who think everything tastes a little bland, and who make up 25 percent of the population. Women are more likely to be supertasters and people from Asia, Africa, and South America also have a higher chance of being supertasters.

You can test to see if you’re a supertaster by placing a drop of blue food coloring on the tip of your tongue. Rinse your mouth out and make sure it’s dry. Then, place a wax ring or binder enforcer ring on the blue dot and count how many papillae, which are the bumps on your tongue, are inside the ring. If you have more than 30, then you are probably a supertaster.

9. Golden Blood

Nicknamed the “Golden Blood”, Rh-null is one of the rarest and most precious blood types on earth. It is so rare that in 50 years, only 43 people have been found to have this blood type.

How blood types work is that on every red blood cell, there are up to 342 antigens, which are molecules that are capable of triggering the production of antibodies. How people’s blood types are determined is through the absences and presences of those antigens. Then, there are 35 different types of blood systems, and a majority of those blood systems encompass the 342 antigens. For example, ABO is the most common blood system and it’s where you find the most common blood types like A+, B-, O+, and so on. Rh is a different system from ABO and almost all Rh blood types are made up from 61 antigens. How Rh-null is different from other Rh blood types is that Rh-null does not contain any of the 61 antigens, which, until 50 years ago, scientists thought was impossible. Before the blood type was discovered in a living person in the early 1960s, fetuses with the blood type were aborted because doctors did not think the baby would survive.

Now that they have realized that people can live with that blood type, it has become incredibly valuable for a number of reasons. First is that since it’s a negative blood type, it’s a universal donor for all people with Rh blood. But the blood is only used for transfusions in emergencies because the blood is so rare and incredibly valuable to scientists and researchers, so they are reluctant to give it up. In fact, currently there are only nine active Rh-null donors in the whole world. Some researchers have even gone so far as to track down donors and personally approach them, asking for some of their blood.

8. Super Vision

Tetrachromacy is an incredibly rare variation in a gene that allows women to see colors that are invisible to most people. How most people see color is that light enters the eye and goes through three cones. Some animals, like certain birds, reptiles, insects, and fish, have four cones and that fourth one extends the color perception into the UV range. Over time, mammals have evolved away from using this fourth cone, but a very small group of people apparently has a genetic variation where they utilize that fourth cone.

The reason only women can have Tetrachromacy is because, in order to have it, someone needs two gene variations and the variation only appears on the X-chromosome. Since males have an XY-chromosome set, it is impossible for them to have two gene variations. On the flip side of it, this is why many males do not see colors the same way as women and why men are more likely to be colorblind.

As for how much it affects someone’s vision, if you look at the picture above, it was painted by a woman who has Tetrachromacy and it should give you some idea as to how she sees the world compared to the way nearly everybody else does.

7. Rubber Skin and Joints

Ehlers Danlos syndrome is actually a group of disorders that are inherited. The syndrome causes people to have rapid growth spurts, and they can continue to grow into adulthood. It also gives them stretchy skin and incredible flexibility, especially in smaller joints. The reason they are more flexible is because the connective tissue is looser and they can dislocate bones near painlessly.

While being more flexible and having rubbery skin may sound like a good thing, there are a lot of downsides to the syndrome. If they get cut and need stitches, the stitches may not hold because of the elasticity of the skin leaving them with horrible scars. Also, since the joints never really settle, it can lead to early onset arthritis. Not to mention awful growing pains from rapid growth spurts.

One fan theory believes that there actually is a comic book character that has Ehlers Danlos syndrome and that is Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker.

6. Echolocation

This ability, which, of course, is the same one that Daredevil uses, is utilized by a number of blind and visually impaired people to help them “see” the world. What is interesting about this one is that it is not an innate power, but some people have the ability to learn how to do it.

Commonly, people use echolocation by clicking their tongues and through training, they can pick up subtle audio clues of where objects are. So while they don’t visualize the world quite the way that Daredevil does, some people are so good at it that they can tell what objects their sound is bouncing off of.

Some notable cases include Daniel Kish, who was blind since he was a baby. He can ride a bike, climb mountains, and live in the wilderness alone, all because of his echolocation skills. Or there is Ben Underwood, who had his eyes removed due to cancer when he was three. He learned how to do all the things normal teenagers do like play video games, foosball, basketball, football and he was fearless on his rollerblades. Sadly, Ben passed away from the same cancer that claimed his eyes on January 19, 2009 at the age of 16.

5. Never Age

Staying young for your entire life may seem like one of the better superpowers, especially if you compare it with the ailments of growing old. In reality though, the mysterious syndrome, known as Syndrome X, is actually more of a curse than a superpower. That is because the aging process doesn’t stop when you’re in your prime, like your 20s. Instead, some people stay children for their whole life, like Brooke Greenberg, who was the size and had the mental capacity of a toddler for her entire 20-year life. Or there is Gabby Williams of Billings, Montana who is 10, but still looks and acts like a toddler. Finally, there is Nicky Freeman, who lives in Australia. He grows one year every four years, meaning that while he is 45 now, he is trapped in the body of an 11-year-old.

While this syndrome has to be an incredible hardship on the families of the inflicted, these people may help unlock the solution to stopping the aging process once people get into adulthood. And unlocking this secret may not guarantee we would live forever, it will at least give us the option of living for a long time and still leaving a beautiful corpse behind.

4. Immunity to Pain

A big benefit when it comes to fighting crime is not being able to feel pain. After all, that is the power that Kick-Ass utilizes to fight crime. While he had nerve damage, there is an actual syndrome where people don’t feel pain called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA). The rare genetic condition affects the development of small nerve fibers that send sensations of pain and hot and cold to the brain. Meaning in addition to not feeling pain, they also aren’t affected by extreme heat or coldness.

While not being able to feel pain sounds like a good thing, it is actually a pretty dangerous syndrome. Just because someone doesn’t feel pain, it doesn’t mean they are immune to injuries. For example, when babies with the syndrome are teething, they can chew until their gums bleed and when their teeth come in, they can bite through their tongue and not notice. As they get older, they can easily burn or cut themselves and not realize they did it and this can lead to infections.

Meaning that while they feel less pain, they actually have to be more careful because they could seriously injure themselves and not realize that anything is wrong.

3. Unbreakable Bones

Thanks to a very rare genetic mutation called LRP5, a small group of people have nearly unbreakable bones due to an incredibly high bone density. This oddity was first noted in 1994, after an unnamed man was involved in a bad car accident. He was uninjured, but just to be safe, they X-rayed him and found out that his bone density was eight times higher than the average man of the same age. Sometime later, doctors came across a family and each family member had a very high bone density, along with very square jaws and they sank when they tried to swim. After finding the family, doctors traced their family’s lineage and they were able to link the family to the man in the car accident. Then they found other people from the family tree with the same mutation, like a man living in Alabama who had problems getting a hip replacement because his bones were too dense to put screws into the bone.

To movie fans, this condition may sound familiar because it appears to be the same condition that Bruce Willis’ character had in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable.

2. Super Strength

Myostatin-Related Muscle Hypertrophy is an incredibly rare condition and there are only a few documented cases, but it is essentially super strength. How it works is there is a protein in the body called myostatin and it affects muscle growth. If the body produces a lot of myostatin, then it is harder for the body to grow muscle, where if someone has low myostatin, then they can develop muscles easier and they are less likely to retain fat.

Currently, there are two known cases in the world. One is Liam Hoekstra, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. By the time he was five months old, he was able to do the iron cross, which is a gymnastic exercise. When he was 8 months old, he could do pull ups and by the time he was 19 months, he could hang upside down by his feet and do inverted crunches. The other certified case is an unnamed German boy who is apparently even stronger than Liam.

1. Immunity to Disease

Did you know there are some people who are immune to deadly diseases? It’s true and it is all thanks to them being mutants. Just to name a few, there are people who have a rare genetic mutation that keeps them immune from HIV. Another example is that a small group of Amish people have an ultra-low chance of getting heart disease. Or there is the case of the people of Quito, Ecuador. In the town, there is a cluster of people with a unique type of dwarfism that also keeps them immune from cancer.

This is actually one of the more interesting superpowers because if you have it, then you may be responsible for literally saving countless peoples’ lives. The Resilience Project is looking for people who should have gotten sick, but didn’t, to donate DNA. The donors will be anonymously scanned for the 685 genes that cause 127 different diseases. They believe that these people may hold the clues to better treatment and quite possibly curing mankind’s deadliest inflictions.

In the beginning of the Marvel Universe, there was just one omnipotent being who created the universe. After the Big Bang, a number of celestial beings came into existence. The universe eventually split off into multiple universes, hence why they call it the “Marvel Multiverse.”

In some cases, there are multiple copies of these beings, as well, so the versions of their stories may actually change depending on the comic series they were published in. With that in mind, we’re going to do out best to talk about these character as accurately as we can. Today, we’re going to go over 10 of the gods and celestial beings that rein over the multiverse…

10. The Celestials

After the creation of the universe in the Big Bang, a race of 2,000-foot tall creatures wearing robot-like armor called The Celestials came into existence. They were the very first race of living beings, and they are responsible for pretty much every significant event in human evolution. They are constantly experimenting, and they make improvements on mankind, including the mutant X-gene that is responsible for the X-Men’s powers. The Celestials also created other powerful cosmic entities like the Eternals and the Deviants.

Celestials never truly die, they are just reborn into a new body. That makes them practically immortal. Even though they are all individuals, they contain a sort of telekinetic hive-mind. So, if you communicate with one, you’re talking to them all. Mere humans could never understand the Celestials’ end-goal, but there is a theory that they are experimenting over time, trying to create a perfect species, and destroying the creatures they deem to be unworthy.

9. Uatu the Watcher

There is yet another race that appeared after the Big Bang called the Watchers. They are equally as powerful as the Celestials, and the two have been at odds for billions of years, because they have polar opposite philosophies about how to deal with lesser life forms. As their name suggests, the Watchers have a strict rule that they should only observe life in the universe for the sake of gathering data without actually interfering. But one Watcher named Uatu broke those rules. He had been watching over Earth, and felt compassionate toward humans and their many issues, so he stepped in to help Earthlings.

Unfortunately for him, he was exiled from the Watchers after breaking the rules. So he decided to make a new home on the moon, and he serves as a middleman between superheroes and celestial beings. Uatu has appeared in multiple Marvel comics over the years, and he has helped saved the planet more than once. While we have yet to learn a lot about them in the films, the Watchers made a brief appearance with Stan Lee in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. In fact, you know all of those Stan Lee cameos in the MCU? Turns out he may have been playing Uatu all along.

8. The Phoenix Force

The Phoenix Force is the force of life and passion that exists in the energy throughout the multiverse. It does not have a true physical form, but it usually appears in the comics in the shape of a phoenix made of flame. It is the guardian of all creation, and it guards the powerful M’Kraan Crystal.

Normally, the Phoenix Force does not interact with living things, but it becomes a sort of soulmate with the X-Men character Jean Grey. When she was a child, Jean’s best friend was killed during a car accident, and she used her telepathic powers to attempt bring her back to life. The Phoenix Force was so impressed by her power that it spared Jean’s life. We don’t want to go into too much more detail with this one, since it just might give away too many spoilers for the upcoming Dark Phoenix movie in 2019. (Of course, if you were a fan of the X-Men cartoon in the ’90s, you no doubt know the general storyline regardless of whether you’ve read the comics.)

7. Galactus The Devourer

The cosmic supervillain named Galactus the Devourer has what is called “The Power Cosmic,” which is the ability to survive anything, even if the entire universe collapses in on itself. In order to maintain this level of power, Galactus consumes entire planets for sustenance, and throughout the Marvel comics, he very nearly has Earth for lunch more than once. 

He has appeared in the Fantastic Four and the Avengers comic books, and he also appears in the 2007 movie Rise of the Silver Surfer. Which makes sense, since the Silver Surfer is one of the heralds of Galactus–which is how he got his powers in the first place.

6. Master Order and Lord Chaos

Master Order and Lord Chaos were two more cosmic entities created at the beginning of the universe. As their names suggest, they are on the polar opposite ends of existence, and are constantly having a power struggle over causing order and chaos.

But they don’t just fight with each other. Master Order and Lord Chaos both fight with the Living Tribunal and Galactus, and they created a being known as “The In-Betweener” to help them accomplish their goals. In this process, the brothers were merged together into one cosmic entity called Logos, which appeared as a villain in the Black Panther comics. They have yet to appear in any of the movies.

5. Eon

Eon is the “cosmic custodian” of the universe, because he helps to make sure that the planets are functioning properly in order to maintain life. He is also credited for causing some of the world’s unexplained phenomena. Of course, the planet Earth is a particular favorite of his, since it has nurtured so many of these superhuman Marvel heroes.

Eon chose Captain Marvel to become the protector of the universe, and Captain Marvel (all of the various iterations) is of the only superheroes who just may be strong enough to defeat Thanos. We can’t go into too much more details, because presumably, Captain Marvel will become a very important character in Avengers: Endgame if the end credits scene in Infinity War is any indication.

4. Cyttorak

So, if you saw Deadpool 2 and wondered how Juggernaut was so powerful, he has Cyttorak to thank for that. Cyttorak is a demon who was once worshiped by humans, until he was banished from Earth. He was one of eight supreme beings known as the Octessence, each of whom crafted a totem that would imbue a human who found it with immense power. This person was known as an Exemplar, with the goal being for the eight Examplars–each having found a gem and taking its power–to lead an immense war with an eighth of the Earth’s population behind each, and only one faction remaining when the blood and dust settled. And that’s why Juggernaut is not only immensely powerful, but also endlessly bloodthirsty.

The true identity of Juggernaut under that helmet is a man named Cain Marko, who is actually Charles Xavier’s stepbrother. They clearly don’t get along with one another, which is part of why he becomes the nemesis of the X-Men. After finding the power of Cyttorak, Juggernaut’s physical strength made him virtually unstoppable, and there are very few who can even possibly attempt to take him on.

3. Eternity and Infinity

Eternity and Infinity are twin beings that represent the universe itself, and they first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1965. It is believed that Stan Lee was hoping to introduce Eastern philosophy into the Marvel Universe. They are supposed to be one the most powerful cosmic beings, and in each of the Marvel multiverses, they appear in a different way. Normally, they do not have a physical body, and only take physical form when they are communicating with the Marvel characters.

Eternity created the Infinity stones, and it’s believed that whoever holds the Infinity gauntlet has the power to control the universe. This would mean that in the next Avengers movie, Thanos could actually overtake all of eternity, if he so chose. While the characters have not played a role in a main storyline yet, some believe that Eternity may have been an Easter egg in the movie Ant-Man.

2. The Living Tribunal

The Living Tribunal first appeared in the Dr. Strange comics in the 1960s. His purpose is to balance magical energy in the multiverse, so he only shows up when there is some kind of upset in the cosmos. The Living Tribunal is a floating head with three faces that represent equity, revenge, and necessity. He’s like the judge of the universe, and when all three faces agree, it implements justice when someone has gone too far.

In 2006, there was an additional fourth face added to the Living Tribunal, which was a reflection of the person who gazes upon it. He is supposed to carry out the will of the “One-Above-All,” who you will learn about riiiiight… now:

1. The One-Above-All

The One-Above-All is omnipresent and omnipotent. He sees all, knows all, and he can change anything across any dimension of universe. This means that none of the other characters we have mentioned in this list are more powerful than he is. He also created many of the other gods and cosmic entities that we see in the Marvel comics.

Basically, he is God… like, with a capital G. His job is to make sure there is a balance of power in the multiverse, and that existence doesn’t devolve into chaos. He rarely appears in the comics, but when he does, it is in various forms to various characters. So we never get to learn what he truly looks like.