World Cup matches will be predicted by a panda
Thinkstock

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Since Jimmy Fallon's puppies are grown and Paul the Octopus is dead, what adorable and/or exotic animal will help to predict the results of the 2014 World Cup? We may now have our newest animal soothsayer.
A giant panda conservation center in China's Sichuan province has reportedly "invited" a panda cub to predict the results of the 2014 World Cup. If all goes as planned, the panda will guess the winning soccer team by either picking food with the country's team on it or by climbing one of two trees, both of which bear flags for opposing teams.
Since China isn't participating in the upcoming games, there is "less of a chance" of any sort panda bias. And, after all, soccer knows fairness.
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.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
UN Security Council approves Haiti security mission led by Kenya
Speed Read Kenya has pledged 1,000 security personnel to help stabilize Haiti, but lots of questions remain
By Peter Weber Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Best country to be black'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Watch Simone Biles win her record 8th US gymnastics championship
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first Women's World Cup
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
US knocked out of Women's World Cup in stunning exit
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Katie Ledecky surpasses Michael Phelps for most world championship titles
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Marketa Vondrousova becomes first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Former Mets player receives annual $1.1M payout despite retiring in 2001
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mage wins 149th Kentucky Derby under shadow of horse deaths
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Oakland Athletics announcer suspended after using racial slur on air
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published