Kassel, Germany
Germans celebrated their hosting of the soccer World Cup last summer by getting pregnant. The month-long event was treated as a giant party across soccer-mad Germany. Now, the head of the country’s largest maternity clinic, Rolf Kliche, is predicting that births will be up 10 percent to 15 percent over the next month or so, as World Cup–inspired pregnancies reach term. “With many people, the excitement they felt during the matches seems to have lasted and been employed in other ways after the final whistle,” Kliche said. He also observed that feeling happy and relaxed might contribute to women’s fertility. The German national team did better than expected, reaching the semifinals, only to be beaten by Cup winner Italy.
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.
-
‘Jumping genes': How polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
-
January’s books feature a revisioned classic, a homeschooler's memoir and a provocative thriller dramedyThe Week Recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Call Me Ishmaelle’ by Xiaolu Guo, ‘Homeschooled: A Memoir’ by Stefan Merrill Block, ‘Anatomy of an Alibi’ by Ashley Elston and ‘Half His Age’ by Jennette McCurdy
-
Venezuela’s Trump-shaped power vacuumIN THE SPOTLIGHT The American abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has thrust South America’s biggest oil-producing state into uncharted geopolitical waters
