Dark Knight Shift: Why Batman Could Exist–But Not for Long

In the 2005 blockbuster “Batman Begins,” vengeful Bruce Wayne hones his killer instincts in the streets for seven years before landing himself in a Bhutanese prison, where he falls in with the mysterious League of Shadows, who teach him the way of the ninja. “The Dark Knight,” the next movie in the Batman franchise, opens in theaters Friday. To investigate whether someone like Bruce Wayne could physically transform himself into a one-man wrecking crew, ScientificAmerican.com turned to E. Paul Zehr, associate professor of kinesiology and neuroscience at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and a 26-year practitioner of Chito-ryu Karate-do.

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