the key to superman's power is in his myelin. my scary prof and I had a brief discussion today about superman when he saw me wearing my supes t-shirt.


scary prof: so, does superman have a super fast startle reflex?
me: yes, he does.
scary prof: he must, since he can dodge bullets.
me: yep.
scary prof: I wonder how that works. kryptonite neurons?
me: kryptonite myelin. but it couldn't be kryptonite; that would kill him.


now I think about it, superman probably doesn't have a startle reflex at all. other reflexes, yes, but startle protects the animal against concussive blows, to which, of course, superman is invincible. myelin, however, is what allows signals to travel through through neurons at the breakneck speeds necessary for speech and thought and reflexive movement. myelin must be key.