Washington, October 29: An expert at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says that rapid digitising may ultimately lead to a “digital dark age”, where digital photographs will become unreadable to future computers.

Jerome P. McDonough, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the university, says that the issue of a looming digital dark age originates from the mass of data spawned by the ever-growing information economy — including electronic records, tax files, e-mail, music and photos.

He is afraid that data produced with ever-shifting platforms and file formats may eventually fall into a black hole of inaccessibility.

Washington, Oct 29: Kids living in “greener” neighbourhoods are less likely to gain weight compared to those in areas with less green space, according to a new study.

The study involved more than 3800 children, predominantly African-American and poor aged 3-16.

Studying the children for over a two-year period, the researchers observed that higher greenness was significantly associated with lower body mass index (BMI) in kids.

Washington, October 28: Drew Barrymore has managed to get the best out of the cast of her directorial debut by flooding them with hugs and kisses.

The actress, who is directing the forthcoming comedy ‘Whip It!’, had made her cast felt at home.

"(She) is the biggest hippie I''ve ever met. I got more hugs and kisses with her than I get from my family,” Contactmusic quoted and rapper-turned-actress Eve as saying.

"Even though we were bruised and bashed around, Drew was there to hug us and give us love,” she added.

Washington, Oct 29: Scientists have said that NASA satellite data can improve forecasts of dust storms in the American Southwest in ways that can benefit public health managers.

Led by investigators Stanley Morain of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and William Sprigg of the University of Arizona in Tucson, scientists evaluated the influence of space-based observations on predictions of dust storms.

Using NASA satellite data, forecasters could more accurately predict the timing of two out of three dust events.

Washington, October 29: A new study has revealed that women with a disability are more prone to intimate partner related physical assaults and rapes than those without a disability.

Presented at the American Public Health Association’s 136th Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego, the study used data collected from seven states and one territory as part of the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.

Washington, Oct 29: One of Hollywood’s greatest actresses Julia Roberts has laughed off reports of a sequel to her hit movie Pretty Woman, insisting that she’s too old to play a prostitute.

The now 41-year-old played the role of a ''hooker with a heart of gold'' in the 1990 movie, which also starred Richard Gere.

While telling TV show Extra at a charity event in California on October 27, the actress made it clear she had no plans of returning to the streets of Los Angeles.