But no matter what Dortmund can achieve in the first leg of its Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid, a sense of gloom crept in on Tuesday, the feeling that this European run might be a last throw of the dice.

WSJ: Borussa Dortmund Dismayed by G?tze's Transfer to Bayern Munich

United also replaced Rooney with Carlos Tevez and Anderson with Ryan Giggs in what was clearly a last throw of the dice by Ferguson as time ran out.

BBC: Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd

The hyper troupe makes a manic attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes, and admission cost is quirkily-based on the throw of a dice.

BBC: Chicago's cutting-edge comedy

But a look at the statistics for patents - a key indicator of commercial intent - reveals how many countries and companies are prepared to throw the graphene dice.

BBC: Is graphene really a wonder-material?