List of All Articles with Tag 'o'

The Google Doodle has celebrated diverse figures like photographer Corky Lee to German actress Renate Krößner recently, and now it's turned its attention to something entirely different. Today (May 20), it’s all about a rare animal and its natural habitat, with the search engine launching a new initiative with an interactive doodle. Lake Xochimilco in Mexico and the rare axolotl are being celebrated today, with Google shedding light on the exotic animal and effort to protect it. The axolotl is a species of salamander which is paedomorphic – retaining its juvenile features as an adult. Its closest relative is the tiger salamander, and the rare special can only be found in very specific places around the world. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter One of them is Lake Xochimilco. Google’s description reads: “Today’s interactive Doodle celebrates Lake Xochimilco, a natural lake near Mexico City that is the last remaining native habitat for axolotls in the world (cousins of the salamander). “The lake was once home to the ancient Aztec civilization during the 15th century, and eventually landowners in the colonial period took over occupation of the lake. On this day in 1920, the Mexican government returned Lake Xochimilco back to the locals. Lake Xochimilco now serves as a recreational site, cultural attraction, and home to the rare axolotl species.” It continues: “Due to Lake Xochimilco’s unique landscape, local farmers adopted the ancient chinampa farming method, which involves artificial floating gardens. These chinamperos (or farmers) grow hundreds of different aquatic plants, from common vegetables to medicinal herbs, in the nutrient-rich soil. It’s also a popular destination for rowing and kayaking — cruising on colorful, wooden boats called trijaneras is an essential pastime on the lake. “Lake Xochimilco is also currently the last remaining native habitat on Earth for axolotls, fresh-water salamanders that live in the water instead of on land. Their mouths are permanently upturned into a slight smile, and they can regenerate limbs, gills, and even parts of their eyes and brains! Unfortunately, these delicate creatures were listed as a critically endangered species in 2008.” “Legend has it that their namesake — the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl — disguised himself as a salamander to avoid sacrifice. The axolotl is so culturally revered in Mexico that the Bank of Mexico added the salamander to the country’s 50-peso bill in 2021. “Today, many are working to protect Lake Xochimilco after years of pollution, invasive species, man-made disturbances, and other obstacles have harmed the axolotl ecosystem. Local chinamperos have been actively restoring their lands with better fertilizers and water filters to preserve these creatures that have become an integral part of their identity and way of life.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Jonathan Glazer has made just a handful of films in 20 years, but each has been unique, drawing highly memorable performances from stars such as...

Molly McNearney and Jimmy Kimmel started dating in 2010 and tied the knot in 2013, but they worked together for 6 years

Selena Gomez amasses an incredible fortune via her tours and performances but record sales also contribute to her assets significantly

A new Tesla ad shared on social media claiming to feature Ryan Reynolds has come to the attention of Elon Musk – only, it’s not real and instead it's completely fabricated through the use of deepfake technology. Tesla CEO Musk replied to Twitter user @meetRealKevin after he posted a video that jokingly claimed to feature Reynolds as the new face of the company. "How much do you think it would cost to own a car that’s this f***ing awesome?!” the fake Reynolds says in the clip. He then adds: “Whose balls do I have to fondle to get a Tesla instead of a s*** Corolla?” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Musk replied to the clip by commenting with the word “nice”, simultaneously bringing it to the attention of his millions of followers. It wasn’t long until the shoe was on the other foot, though. Digital marketing agency Maximum Effort, which was been co-founded by Reynolds, then posted a deepfake video which sees an artificial version of Musk promoting Reynolds’ company Aviation Gin. Reynolds’ response? The actor simply added the comment “nice”. It’s not the first time stories about Musk and deepfakes have made headlines over recent times. Photos of Elon Musk kissing a female humanoid robot has gone viral, but everything is not as it seems. In fact, four AI-generated images of Musk kissing three different “wife” robots and dancing with one other female-looking humanoids have been shared far and wide online. It comes after Reynolds appeared to troll celebrity pal Taylor Swift over recent rumours that she's dating The 1975's Matty Healy. In a post to his Instagram Stories, the 'Deadpool' actor shared a selfie of himself and chose to include The 1975’s hit song "Chocolate," for the music. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel's fake feud began in 2005 during the third season of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and has spanned over two decades

Hank Green has generous earnings through his several social media channels

Reese Witherspoon was reportedly terrified that she could not pull-off the role of June Cash in the acclaimed James Mangold movie

Jim Brown was both extraordinary and extraordinarily complicated

'Fast X' composer Brian Tyler has compared his work on the 'Fast and Furious' franchise to epics like 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Wars'.

Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj did not collaborate for the song but fans could not get over how great the AI-generated version sounded

Noel Gallagher found his brother Liam Gallagher’s unpredictable moods “really f****** stressful” when they were in Oasis together