CGI video falsely claimed to show ‘Oodhu Paavai’ factory


The claim: a video shows the medicinal plant Oodhu Paavai

Thousands of users in multiple countries and social media platforms have shared a video which allegedly shows a strange-looking medicinal plant, called “Oodhu Paavai” in Tamil, blowing pollen into the air.

But this is yet another case of digital artwork mistaken for reality.

In the video, three dark red organisms are surrounded by leaves and have thin, trumpet-shaped funnels protruding from their tops. One at a time, their pumpkin-shaped bodies swell with air, then contract, sending a cloud of particles out of their funnels with the sound of a cork.

“This medicinal plant is called OODHU PAAVAI in Tamil and is only found in dark and rainy forests, we read in a September 25 post on Facebook containing the video.” To grow, it periodically blows out its pollen grains. through its funnel-shaped structure. . In truth, God’s creation leaves us in awe. “

The video was particularly popular on Indian social media and gained more attention after the Indian Foreign Service Officer Sandeep Tripathi and psychiatry professor Dr Roy Kallivayalil both tweeted the claim. Kallivayalil’s September 26 video tweet was retweeted more than 1,500 times in less than two days; Tripathi has since deleted his tweet.

The claim was also forwarded to several plant-related social media groups, including the r / plants subreddit, although moderators ultimately removed it.

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But the viral messages are wrong. This is a CGI animation created by London-based motion designer and 3D graphic artist Luke Penry, whose Instagram ID is featured in the watermark of the videos.

Penry said the digital creation is not based on any actual plants, and USA TODAY and Factly.in have not found any evidence for the existence of a plant called “Oodhu Paavai”.

USA TODAY has reached out to users who shared the post for comment.

Fully digital video, does not show “Oodhu Paavai”

The video allegedly showing “Oodhu Paavai” is neither an actual footage nor an illustration of an actual organism, Penry told USA TODAY.

Rather, it is one of the many “digital mushroom” animations and graphics the artist has made in her spare time, which are displayed on her Instagram page. Penry sells the work as a non-fungible token.

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He says he first learned that his video was circulating under false pretenses on September 21, a day after posting it on his YouTube channel.

“A biology student saw my watermark in a corner and found me on Instagram wondering if it was real.… It had been posted as the ‘rarest variety of bitter gourd on the verge of extinction’ “he wrote in an email. “I found it hilarious, because I’m still pretty sure it was just someone using it as click bait to get views.”

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He pointed out that the video was a work of CGI on Twitter, but it seemed it was too late to convince others that it was wrong.

“It had spread already so far, I just sat down and enjoyed what was going on,” he wrote.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we find FALSE the claim that a video shows the medicinal plant “Oodhu Paavai”. The watermark of three-dimensional graphic artist Luke Penry appears on the videos, and Penry has confirmed to USA TODAY that this is CGI and does not show a real plant. Neither USA TODAY nor any other independent fact-checking organization has found any evidence that the plant is real.

Our sources of fact-checking:

  • Factly.in, September 27, digital art video masquerades as Oodhu Paavai, a medicinal plant blowing its pollen with sound
  • Luke Penry, September 27, email interview with USA TODAY
  • Luke Penry, September 24 Tweeter
  • Luke Penry, September 17 Tweeter
  • Luke Penry via Youtube, September 20, Jungle Pipes!
  • Luke Penry, September 16, Instagram post
  • u / Pluto-NO via Reddit, September 27, post in r / plants subreddit
  • Roy Kallivayalil, September 26 Tweeter
  • Sandeep Tripathi, September 24 Tweeter (archived)
  • Foundation, consulted September 28, Jungle Pipes

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Our fact-checking work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.


About Sherri Flowers

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