>> You want to write a story together? The prompt is that "superpower" is a relative term. In the story, the people of Krypton are amazed at the Earth people who have the "superpower" of handling Kryptonite without harm. <<
Indeed, I am using "superpower" as a relative term. It means being able to do something far outside the standard for your species. Some of them come with a whole new ability (Laser Eyes) but others are just pushing the envelope a lot farther (Super-Intellect). So a human with Super-Intellect would be like Einstein. It's one of the more common powers. A cat with Super-Intellect would be like a smart human. A whale with Super-Intellect in a much bigger brain could well leave Einstein in the dust.
Another very common ability is Gizmology or Super-Gizmology. Tool use in a non-tool-using species would be Gizmology; an animal using human tools is Super-Gizmology. Notice that we have animals doing these things. This is what happens when a Gizmologist has a dog who is a Super-Gizmologist. That dog is a tool-user applying a three-step process: fetch ball, load gizmo, fire gizmo. Quite sophisticated thinking for a canine. This is especially apt because Super-Intelligence and Super-Gizmology, rather than being granted by freak accidents, are among the abilities most likely to develop slowly in response to external stimulation.
>> Meanwhile, how many animals can:
o fly? o see in the dark? o detect earthquakes long before humans? <<
It is not a handicap for humans to be unable to fly; that's normal for us. But a hawk that can't fly is handicapped, and a human who used to have Flight but lost it is also handicapped. It is not a superpower for hawks to fly; that's ordinary for them. It is a superpower for humans to fly without assistance. I suspect that many superpowers are simply coming out of the kitchen junk drawer that is DNA.
>> There are chilling stories of tsunami victims that pulled out their cell phones and started recording videos, while animals like dogs had immediately raced for the hills. A real question of what intelligence really is. <<
Ah, but humans are a high-communication species. Other species -- mostly prey animals -- give warning calls even at the expense of their own safety. Wow, now the totem theorist in me is wondering if people who film tsunamis are more likely to have high-signalling totems such as prairie dogs.
Yes...
Indeed, I am using "superpower" as a relative term. It means being able to do something far outside the standard for your species. Some of them come with a whole new ability (Laser Eyes) but others are just pushing the envelope a lot farther (Super-Intellect). So a human with Super-Intellect would be like Einstein. It's one of the more common powers. A cat with Super-Intellect would be like a smart human. A whale with Super-Intellect in a much bigger brain could well leave Einstein in the dust.
Another very common ability is Gizmology or Super-Gizmology. Tool use in a non-tool-using species would be Gizmology; an animal using human tools is Super-Gizmology. Notice that we have animals doing these things. This is what happens when a Gizmologist has a dog who is a Super-Gizmologist. That dog is a tool-user applying a three-step process: fetch ball, load gizmo, fire gizmo. Quite sophisticated thinking for a canine. This is especially apt because Super-Intelligence and Super-Gizmology, rather than being granted by freak accidents, are among the abilities most likely to develop slowly in response to external stimulation.
>> Meanwhile, how many animals can:
o fly?
o see in the dark?
o detect earthquakes long before humans? <<
It is not a handicap for humans to be unable to fly; that's normal for us. But a hawk that can't fly is handicapped, and a human who used to have Flight but lost it is also handicapped. It is not a superpower for hawks to fly; that's ordinary for them. It is a superpower for humans to fly without assistance. I suspect that many superpowers are simply coming out of the kitchen junk drawer that is DNA.
>> There are chilling stories of tsunami victims that pulled out their cell phones and started recording videos, while animals like dogs had immediately raced for the hills. A real question of what intelligence really is. <<
Ah, but humans are a high-communication species. Other species -- mostly prey animals -- give warning calls even at the expense of their own safety. Wow, now the totem theorist in me is wondering if people who film tsunamis are more likely to have high-signalling totems such as prairie dogs.