The video: An 11-year-old Brazilian boy, Paulo David Amorim, is being billed as a human magnet. Brazil's Globo TV network has broadcast images showing the child's father, Junior Amorim, demonstrating how metal objects — forks, spoons, cooking pans, and even a camera — stick to his son's chest, stomach, and back. (See a Sky News report below.) Junior Amorim says he discovered his son's odd ability when he asked for a knife and fork, and utensils stuck to him. The family's doctor, Dix-Sept Rosado Sobrinho, says in his 30 years in medicine, he has never seen such a case. Unsurprisingly, Paulo says his classmates, who call him "Magnet Boy," haven't either.
The reaction: This boy is no magnet, says Fox News Latino. All it takes is "a little bit of static by placing a metal object onto smooth, hair-free parts of the body," and metal sticks to the skin like glue. A 6-year-old Croatian boy once claimed the same superpower, but hordes of people in a Facebook group called "We are all Magneto Boy/Girl" debunked the claim by posting photos of themselves with metal objects attached. Well, "if it is a hoax, it's a pretty good one!" says Linda Shaw at Gather. Maybe anybody could get a fork or spoon to cling to them — but cooking pans? If this kid's not magnetic, he's at least awfully sticky. See for yourself:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
