The Unbreakable Family

Brittle bones are a major issue for many people as they become older. Osteoporosis is one of the conditions that the elderly must prepare for, and many use calcium supplements and other similar measures to maintain bone density. However, thanks to an odd and comic-book-style biological mutation, science is attempting to find a better solution to address this problem.

A Connecticut family has a mutation that works in the opposite direction of the one known to cause reduced bone density. The mutation has resulted in a significant increase in bone density for them, thus rendering their bones unbreakable. The mutation's discovery was almost as extraordinary as the mutation itself.

In 1994, a family member was involved in what should have been a terrible car accident. He was X-rayed at the hospital, and the radiologist discovered not only that there was no bone damage, but that the density of the man's bones was unlike anything he had ever seen. As a result, the radiologist forwarded the case to someone at Yale.

They observed that the man's ancestors all had identical skeletons. And the condition offered as many potential drawbacks as upsides. People with exceptionally dense bones struggle to float in water, and one man undergoing hip replacement surgery found the procedure nearly impossible because physicians couldn't get the prosthetic joint to adhere to his genuine bones.