"Body Builders" push human limits, envision a world without disability

Hugh Herr was a teenaged rock-climbing star when he lost his legs below the knees, then built prosthetics to help him walk and climb even more efficiently. Lee Spievack was able to regrow his finger with part of a pig’s bladder. Pat Fletcher lost her eyesight in a grenade factory explosion, then learned to see with her ears, with the help of a special machine. They’re all part of Adam Piore’s new book “The Body Builders: Inside the Science of the Engineered Human.”

Hugh Herr was a teen rock-climbing star when he lost his legs below the knee. He started tinkering with prosthetics, and created limbs that would help him climb even more efficiently. Herr is part of Adam Piore’s book “The Body Builders” (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Reynolds)

(Photo courtesy of Harper Collins)