# Could we be Super-(wo)Men on other planets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263 "2013-06-18T12:02:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Keyzer\_Soza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@Keyzer\_Soza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keyzer_Soza)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/1 "2013-06-18T12:02:12Z")
So this question is a little outlandish. Now taking it from where kryptonians in the new superman movie movie get their powers on earth from, it is not just the yellow sun as before but as Krypton is a much harsher likely higher gravity planet than earth with a harsher atmosphere than earth as well, that all together helps in them being much stronger than us here on earth. Now my question is this could there be planets out there where we may be seen as super-men? Let’s say one with a lower gravity than earth but one that still can support life. If we somehow landed on such a planet would our strengths appear to be much greater? Would we be viewed as super-hero’s assuming sentient beings exist on that planet? ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/2 "2013-06-18T12:35:07Z")
> [@Keyzer\_Soza](#): > > Would we be viewed as super-hero’s assuming sentient beings exist on that planet? So assuming the sentient beings were similar enough to us as to have the same biomechanical needs as us, and would be in a position to compare our physical characteristics to theirs (meaning, they exist in a world where physical manipulation of objects is both necessary and routine)\*, and their planet evolved them to have a lower strength requirement, while maintaining an environment that wouldn’t kill us outright, then, maybe. \*Think of all the animals on this planet who do not in any way manipulate their environment, but simply exist within it, and therefore have no need of extraordinary strength. Being able to move large heavy objects would not be something that they might consider “super”, but merely “strange”. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/3 "2013-06-18T12:47:26Z")
For a while, sure, but we know from our spaceflight experience, in a lower-gravity environment over the long term we actually become physically deconditioned by the lack of resistance (also, it’s one thing for an object to weigh less; it’s another to resist being clobbered by impact with an object whose mass does not change with gravity). Humans need proper nutrition plus regular exercise to remain strong, the fictional Kryptonians combine the comic’s old-original source of power (advanced evolution selecting for naturally powerful physiques) plus the later source (capacity to absorb and store sunlight to sustain their strength), we have NOT evolved that way. So we’d have to work out a lot with really heavy weights to remain supermen in the new environment. BTW the idea that a human would seem superhuman in a lower gravity environment was already the premise behind John Carter of Mars, well before Supes was introduced. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/4 "2013-06-18T12:48:31Z")
For the sake of literary background: Siegel & Schuster got the idea of Superman being advanced beyond earthmen because of the gravity from Edgar Rice Burrough’s **John Carter of Mars.** ETA: ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![SGT42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@SGT42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SGT42)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/5 "2013-06-18T14:41:17Z")
Here is a scientific speculation: > **[The Man of Steel, Myostatin, and Super Strength](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-man-of-steel-myostatin-and-super-strength/)** ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/6 "2013-06-18T16:35:44Z")
Little known fact: The Apollo astronauts had super powers when they were on the Moon. NASA hushed it up because they were worried if people saw that, they’d think the entire thing was faked. Eventually, they decided the risk of people finding out was too great, and canceled the whole program. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/7 "2013-06-19T00:02:02Z")
> [@](#): > > BTW the idea that a human would seem superhuman in a lower gravity environment was already the premise behind John Carter of Mars, well before Supes was introduced. Except that John Carter was not himself human. The idea was certainly there, though. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/8 "2013-06-19T02:27:58Z")
Btw, the Earth’s sun is white, not yellow. Just felt like being pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/9 "2013-06-19T02:35:33Z")
Summer school and summer movies are in session. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/10 "2013-06-19T04:15:17Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > Btw, the Earth’s sun is white, not yellow. > > Just felt like being pedantic. Is it arguable that the sun’s color is “green” since the spectral curve peaks in the green? (I think… Isn’t that what Wien’s Law says?) It just looks white because the colors to either side of green balance out fairly evenly, but there’s more green than any other single color. (And, yeah, breaking it down to only seven colors is, itself, a cultural assumption/prejudice and not scientific…) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/11 "2013-06-19T04:36:03Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Little known fact: The Apollo astronauts had super powers when they were on the Moon. NASA hushed it up because they were worried if people saw that, they’d think the entire thing was faked. Eventually, they decided the risk of people finding out was too great, and canceled the whole program. Didn’t one of the astronauts hit a golf ball a mile or so? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/12 "2013-06-19T09:44:43Z")
In Superromulan 3, the antagonist tries to synthesize cyanide, but fails and instead makes ethanol. However, it has some effect, and the hero must battle his own personal demons. * * * More seriously, I think it’s hard to say and would just depend on the course of evolution on the aliens’ planet. I mean, if human muscles would work so great on such a planet, what stopped the native species from evolving something equivalent? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/13 "2013-06-19T10:01:51Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I mean, if human muscles would work so great on such a planet, what stopped the native species from evolving something equivalent? Answering my own question: instead of strength of gravity, what if there is just far less stellar radiation reaching their planet such that life there has to make do with much less energy? It might make sense for all such species to be weak and slow by earthly standards. So Superromulan 3 may yet make sense, but would still be inferior to 1 and 2. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/14 "2013-06-19T17:34:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Except that John Carter was not himself human. The idea was certainly there, though. He wasn’t? I do recall Carter was immortal (even before the stories started) and could later transport himself by will form Earth to Mars, but I don’t recall it ever being revealed he wasn’t human – or let’s say the child of human parents. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-be-super-wo-men-on-other-planets/661263/15 "2013-06-20T01:13:56Z")
OK, he might be the child of human parents-- I don’t think that’s ever established. But it’s quite clear that he has a number of superhuman qualities even compared to other Jasoomians.