Fact Check: Does 3D model of Adam, the first man, reconstructed by Princeton University look like Vin Diesel? Viral meme debunked
An X post claiming that Princeton University reconstructed a 3D model of Adam, the first man on Earth, went viral on X due to its resemblance to Vin Diesel. The image was recently made popular by X user @Alphafox78, receiving over 176K views at the time of writing. On October 27, the user posted a screenshot of the 3D model with the caption:
"Scientists at Princeton University have reconstructed this 3D model of how Adam, the first human being created by God, might have looked."
However, the fact-checking website Factly discredited this claim. The post first went viral in 2022 and was debunked at the time. In November 2022, Factly reported that there was no proof of Princeton University publishing the 3D render anywhere online.
Factly also discovered that the 3D model of Vin Diesel used in the claim was created by 3D artist Vitaly Tenishev on artstation.com sometime in 2016. The image was popularized by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which first posted the claim on X (then Twitter), as a joke in October 2022.
The indie theatre house followed this up with another tweet jestingly reminding people it was not an academic journal.
"Just a reminder that we're a movie theater, not an academic journal. That said, here's our soundcloud," the tweet read.
A look into Vin Diesel's upcoming movies
Vin Diesel is reportedly in the process of filming the fourth installment of the Riddick franchise. The action sci-fi series started in 2013 with the first movie, starring Diesel, Karl Urban, and Dave Bautista. According to IMDb, the synopsis for the new movie, titled Riddick: Furya, reads:
"It follows Riddick as he returns to his home world, a place he barely remembers and one he fears might be left in ruins. He finds other Furyans fighting for their existence against a new enemy."
Diesel is also gearing up for the final installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. Titled Fast X: Part 2, the movie will reportedly be released in 2026, bringing together Diesel's character, Dominic Toretto with the others for the last time.
According to ScreenRant, the franchise reportedly hired Zach Dean as the writer for the final movie. While the main franchise will end in 2026, talks of a spin-off series starring Dwayne Johnson as Hobbs are reportedly in the works.
Vin Diesel will also reportedly produce and feature in Mattel's Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots film. There is not much information regarding this project at the time of writing this article. Vin Diesel was last seen in Fast X and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In other news, Vin Diesel penned a touching tribute to Paul Walker, his Fast & Furious co-star, on September 12 for his birthday. Diesel spoke about their brotherhood, calling it "timeless and bond by love."
The duo first worked together in the first Fast & Furious film in 2001 and continued their partnership until Walker died in 2013. Furious 7 was Walker's last movie in the franchise.