Would you rather have super strength or the ability to fly?

Super strength is a staple of mythology and pop culture, from Hercules in Greek myth (son of Zeus, completed the 12 labors including slaying the Nemean lion) to Samson in the Hebrew Bible (whose hair held supernatural power) and modern superheroes like Superman (debuted in Action Comics #1, June 1938) and the Hulk (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962). Biologically, the strongest creature relative to size is the dung beetle, which can pull 1,141 times its body weight. Humans typically max out at deadlifts around 500 kg (1,100 lbs), held by Hafthor Bjornsson in 2020. True super strength would require massively reinforced bones (current human femurs withstand about 1,800 pounds of force) and tendons. It would enable lifting cars, breaking through walls, and reshaping construction work.

Flight has captivated humanity since Greek mythology, when Icarus flew too close to the sun on wings of feathers and wax. Leonardo da Vinci sketched flying machines around 1485, including the ornithopter. The Wright Brothers achieved the first powered, controlled flight on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, lasting 12 seconds and covering 120 feet. Today commercial jets cruise at 35,000 feet (10,668 m) at around 900 km/h. Birds achieve flight through hollow bones, asymmetric feathers, and powerful pectoral muscles; the wandering albatross has the largest wingspan at 3.5 meters. Personal flight would eliminate traffic, transform commuting, and allow access to mountain peaks. However, oxygen levels drop sharply above 3,500 m, and temperatures fall about 6.5°C per 1,000 m of altitude.