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:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peaceCartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
-
The AI arms raceTalking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
-
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis worldIn the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism
