Planets orbit stars in the same direction that the stars rotate. They all do. Except one. A newfound planet orbits the wrong way, backward compared to the rotation of its host star. Its discoverers think a near-collision may have created the retrograde orbit, as it is called. The star and its planet, WASP-17, are about 1,000 light-years away. The setup was found by the UK's Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP) project in collaboration with Geneva Observatory. The discovery was announced today but has not yet been published in a journal.

I investigate what happens to oil spilled into the ocean—with an eye toward finding better ways to “engineer” cleanups. But the brass ring has always hung out of my reach. When oil hits the water, chemical changes start occurring fast. It’s not like I can predict where or when an accidental spill is going to occur, so I usually can’t get to spills fast enough. I literally and figuratively miss the boat.

Sotheby's David Bennett: 'It is exceptionally beautiful and rare' A rare blue diamond which could set a world record price per carat when it is sold in May has gone on show in London. Smaller than a penny piece, it is worth between $5.8m (£3.9m) and $8.5m (£5.7m) according to estimates by its sellers. It weighs 7.03 carats and is one of only a handful of blue diamonds in existence in the world. The diamond was found in South Africa last year and is on show at Sotheby's, in Mayfair, until Tuesday. It will be auctioned in Geneva on 12 May.