Brazil’s “magnet boy” seems to attract metal objects (VIDEO)

A boy from Brazil is drawing worldwide attention for his apparent magnet-like ability to attract metal objects.

Nicknamed “magnet boy” by his classmates, 11-year-old Paulo David Amorim can stick forks, knives, cameras and even a saucepan to his chest, stomach and back, the Associated Press reports.

A video of Paul and his father demonstrating the boy's unusual magnetic abilities, broadcast on Brazil’s Globo TV network, has drawn further attention to his special skills.

The Amorim family hails from Brazil's northeastern city of Mossoro. Paulo’s father, Junior Amorim, told Globo that he decided to test his son after learning of a Croatian boy with magnetic powers. He was surprised to discover that a fork and knife similarly stuck to Paulo.

"In school, everyone asks me to put things on my body, they think it is a trick," Paulo said, reports the Sun.

Dr. Dix-Sept Rosado Sobrinho told Globo it is the first time in his 30-year career that he has encountered a case like Paulo’s.

"We can see that there is a certain adhesiveness, that he does manage to make several objects stick to his body, some of which are pretty heavy," he said.

Everyone has a subtle electromagnetic current flowing through their bodies, but a rare few people have abnormally high magnetic fields.

Ivan Stolijkovic, 6, from Koprivnica, Croatia, can hold up to 55 pounds of metal objects on his body, from spoons to an iron to heavy frying pans (see photo gallery of Croatia's magnet boy).

In another “human magnet” case, a British woman claimed to have set off car alarms, interrupted TV signals and even blown out light bulbs because of the heightened electromagnetic field in her body.

Brenda Allison, 50, said that metal objects including coins, keys, safety pins and metal lids can stick to her body for up to 45 minutes without falling off, the Daily Mail reported.