35. Science Behind Fantastic Four’s The Thing
- Company: Marvel Comics
- Real Science: Rare Genetics
- Possible To Recreate: Unlikely
Ben Grimm was the one most affected by the Fantastic Four cosmic incident. His entire body became, basically, rock. There are a few rare conditions possibly at play here. One is the SOST gene, which affects the sclerostin. This is what regulates human bone growth. SOST prevents sclerostin from stopping development, causing a human to consistently develop bone mass for their entire life.
This makes their bones larger and harder as a result. Just 2 African men are the only known subjects who had this rare mutation. This can explain how Grimm is capable of not only sustaining the rock on his body but also why he is capable of using this as a form of super strength. A heightened Stiff Skin Syndrome could be how Grimm’s skin turned rocky. This can make a person’s skin as hard as stone and it often turns the skin reddish-orange, similar to The Thing’s main coloring.