With the World Cup semi-finals set to kick off in South Africa, a "psychic" octopus in the city of Oberhausen, Germany has shocked his countrymen and thrilled the Iberian peninsula by picking Spain over Germany in tomorrow's highly anticipated match. Paul — whose clairvoyant process involves selecting food from one of two clear plastic boxes, each bearing the flag of a competing team — has earned international fame by successfully predicting the outcomes of Germany's games to date, including four wins and an upset loss to Serbia. Germany "shuddered" when Paul forecast a loss, says Eric Kelsey in Der Speigel. Somehow, the octopus even "seemed to sense that his prophecy would not be a popular one." Yeah, this is a real "bummer for all those German fans who believe in tooth fairies and Santa Claus," says GrrlScientist at Science Blogs. Watch Paul deliberate:
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