It stares at a fixed patch of sky, watching a field of more than 150, 000 stars for the tiny dips in starlight that occur if an orbiting planet passes between a star and the telescope.

BBC: Exoplanets near red dwarfs suggest another Earth nearer

The idea is to attach a patch of the stuff to tents, so soldiers in the field have a built-in power source.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

In fact, many high schools (secondary schools) around the US support a traditional foreign exchange student club and national organization, the American Field Service (AFS), founded by WWI ambulance drivers like Mr. Patch.

BBC: Have your say: Harry Patch