Scientists in Switzerland have begun a bizarre experiment using bacteria to predict their team’s results in the EURO 2024 tournament.
Microbiologists at the Baden Cantonal Hospital (KSB) allow the bugs to grow in two petri dishes, each marked with a team’s flag ahead of a match.
And the winner, they predict, will be the dish that has generated the greatest growth.
One prediction, for Switzerland’s match against Hungary on 15th June correctly showed a win for the Swiss squad.
And they were tantalisingly close to getting the 1-1 draw with Scotland right on 19th June, which many human pundits had said the Swiss would lose.
When the boffins posted their prediction for the Hungary game on Instagram they said: “The bacterial growth in the petri dish of Switzerland was definitely the greatest.
“So nothing can go wrong.”
The scientists use fast-growing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bugs to get their results.
They chose bacteria fortune tellers, reports local media, because so many other football soothsayers use much larger animals to predict results.
Hospital spokesperson Simon David told local media: “As a hospital, we cannot use a dog, cat, or cow for hygiene reasons, so the bacteria in the lab came to mind.
“The conditions for the bacteria in both petri dishes are absolutely identical.”
The bacteria is yet to make a prediction for Switzerland’s upcoming fixture with Germany scheduled for 23rd June.
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Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency: Newsflash
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