A pregnant woman poses on June 19, 2018 in Vertou, western France. France had an estimated population of 68.4 million by January 1, 2024, representing a further year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent, limited by a marked drop in the birth rate, the INSEE national statistics bureau of France reported on January 16, 2024. In 2023, 678,000 babies were born in France, 6.6 percent fewer than the previous year, the lowest number of births in any year since 1946. Over the same period, there were 631,000 deaths, down 6.5 percent on 2022, a year marked by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and episodes of extreme heat. (Photo by Loic Venance/AFP Photo)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

Spectators pose for a selfie before the running of the Melbourne Cup at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, November 6, 2018. (Photo by Andy Brownbill/AP Photo)

An artist wearing a coronavirus-shaped helmet and a protective suit stands next to a police barricade as he requests people to stay at home during an extended lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi, India, April 30, 2020. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Palestinian bedouin shepherds pull their lambs into the water to wash them, in Gaza City, on April 29, 2016. Every year before the beginning of the summer, shepherds wash their herds in the sea. (Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP Photo)

A man bundled up for the cold weather carries a dog in his jacket while walking along the waterfront in New Westminster, British Columbia, Tuesday, December 28, 2021. Environment Canada has issued an arctic outflow warning for Metro Vancouver and the south coast with well below normal temperatures forecast for the region. (Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP Photo)

An environmental activist performs during a protest in front of the headquarters of Brazilian mining company Vale SA in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 16, 2015. The collapse of two dams at a Brazilian mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd, has cut off drinking water for quarter of a million people and saturated waterways downstream with dense orange sediment that could wreck the ecosystem for years to come. Nine people were killed, 19 are still listed as missing and 500 people were displaced from their homes when the dams burst at an iron ore mine in southeastern Brazil on November 5. (Photo by Sergio Moraes/Reuters)

Throughout time, people invented and reinvented rollerblades. Of course everyone’s dream was to combine them with regular footwear, so that at one moment you’re riding down the road, and in 5 seconds you’re walking into a shopping mall, without the mall cop chasing after you. The most resent inventions were heelys (sneakers with a wheel located in the heels) and Xsjados (aggressive skates, the exterior of which could be removed to reveal regular sneakers). In the past, people made similar attempts, however, these inventions were very inefficient and the trend never caught on. Omnia’C has found and made photos of one of such inventions: pop out roller skate sandals all the way from 1970s. Though their design is pretty cool, it seems like they would be very uncomfortable, since they totally lack ankle support.