London, Dec.

London, Dec 1: A historian has discovered what he believes is the world’s first credit crunch, dating back to 88 BC, which might be the precedent for the current financial turmoil.

According to a report in the Guardian, the historian in question is Philip Kay from the University of Oxford.

“The essential similarity between what happened 21 centuries ago and what is happening in today’s UK economy is that a massive increase in monetary liquidity culminated with problems in another country causing a credit crisis at home,” said Kay.

“In both cases, distance and over-optimism obscured the risk,” he added.

London, Dec 1: In a breakthrough study, scientists have been able to successfully stop the progression of heart disease, and even reversed some of its effects.

The study showed that tiny fragments of genetic material called microRNA could play a key role in the development of heart disease.

The new approach suggested by the US and German researchers could effectively block microRNA in heart cells.

MicroRNA regulates the gene activity, but with many different types present in the cell, scientists are trying to establish which plays the biggest role.

London, Dec 1: New evidence has suggested that plate tectonics, which is crucial for creating the oceans and atmosphere essential for life, began around a billion years earlier than previously thought.

According to a report in New Scientist, Michelle Hopkins and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, have found evidence of tectonics in zircon deposits that formed about 4 billion years ago.

Analysis showed that minerals trapped within the zircon crystals had formed at a lower temperature and higher pressure than expected for crust of that age.

London, Nov 30: A global paedophile network’s founding member, who had more than 200,000 computer images and thousands of videos of children being sexually abused, has been sent to jail indefinitel

London, November 30 : An octogenarian war veteran spent 16 hours marooned in his scooter after it stuck in a patch of mud, and braved freezing cold as temperatures plummeted overnight.

Robert Calloway, an 86-year-old former rear gunner and retired engineer, was discovered by a dog walker who spotted him the following morning.

He had been to church and was on his way home when he decided to take a short cut through the local park, but he ended up getting his scooter stuck.

Since he had forgotten to take his mobile phone out, he could not call anyone for help.

It was only at 9am the following day that he heard a dog barking, and called out for help.