A Brazilian boy who is wowing millions with his supposed ability to make metal objects stick to his chest may simply be a hoax, experts say.
Recently, Brazil's Globo TV network broadcast images of Paulo David Amorim, an 11-year-old boy from Messoro, demonstrating how forks, knives, scissors, cooking pans, cameras and other metal objects seem drawn to his body and remain stuck on his chest, stomach and back.
The boy's dad was inspired to test his son's magnetic attractiveness after hearing reports about Ivan Stoiljkovic, a 6-year-old Croatian boy, had become world renowned as a "human magnet."
Paulo says he was surprised to find "a fork and knife stuck to his body," the Associated Press reported. Yet as a result, he is now, like Ivan, called "Magnet Boy."
But while Paulo's doctor, Dr. Dix-Sept Rosado Sobrinho, says this is the first time in his 30-year career that he has seen a case like this, skeptics wonder if he'll be sticking to his story for very long.
According to We Are All Magneto Boy, a Facebook page designed to debunk the Croatian Magnet Boy, anyone can attract a metal object by generating a bit of static and placing the object onto a smooth, hair-free part of the body.
In addition, James Randi, a magician and founder of the James Educational Foundation, an organization that works to expose paranormal and pseudoscientific frauds and hold media organizations accountable for promoting dangerous nonsense, also points out a few inconsistencies.
"The fact that aluminum pots -- as well as copper and silver coins -- stick to this kid, rather shows that his touted 'magnetism' -- unless it has been drastically improved to pick up normally non-magnetic materials -- is simply due to sticky skin," Randi wrote in a blog post about the Croatian Magnet Boy.
So far, none of the photos of either Magnet Boy show them wearing a shirt. Until one is taken, the story will likely attract skeptics.