Research News

May
31

The Way of the Jackal: The Untold Story of Sri Lanka’s Wild Dog

The economic net worth of a close relative of our Jackal, the Grey Wolf in North America has been estimated to be about $171,000 per individual wolf. What is the equivalent of our very own ‘wolf’ – the Sri Lankan Jackal? Sadly, we don’t have a reliable figure for that. A group of researchers from […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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May
07

Sri Lanka’s first tagged shorebird makes journey to Northern Russia

The Grey Plover, also known as the Black-bellied Plover due to its striking black face and belly in breeding plumage, is an unmistakable winter visitor to the coasts of Sri Lanka. One such Grey Plover is Vayu, tagged by the Central Asian Flyway-Sri Lanka Waterbird Tracking Project conducted by FOGSL-UoC in collaboration with the Research […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Mar
31

UCIARS Unveils Innovative Automated Hydroponic System

University of Colombo Agro Technology and Rural Sciences (UCIARS) has developed an innovative automated hydroponic system as part of the students’ practical session in protected agriculture. In the initial phase of this endeavour, various plants including lettuce and strawberries were cultivated and harvested, showcasing significant achievements. This automated model requires minimal maintenance and observation, promising […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | Gallery . News . Research News . UCIARS
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Feb
19

Breaking Boundaries: UOC and NUS Scientists Collaborate on Modified Relaxin-3 Neuropeptides for Selective Anxiety and Depression Medications

Scientists at the University of Colombo in collaboration with partners from the NUS Medicine (Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine), A*STAR's Bioinformatics Institute, and Tohoku University, are making significant strides in finding better ways to treat anxiety, depression, and related problems. They are exploring new approaches to make medications more effective and with fewer side [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Aug
09

Proximate Nutrients in Selected Forage & Diet Composition of Adult Elephants

The thinning elephant population in Udawalawe National Park has been a growing cause for concern. Among the various proposed solutions to address this issue, one involves the regeneration of Guinea grass (M. maximum). Experts that have been observing the National Park, suggested a possible relationship between the decreased Guinea grass extent and the increasing observations […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News
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Sep
13

Are we dulling bird calls?

Silent Spring, spurring the interest of conservationists, industrialists and the general public, was one of the most influential books in recent history. Here, Rachel Carson, signaled the devastating impacts of chemical pesticides on birds, apparent through drastic population declines. Ill-effects of pollution continue to take a heavy toll on integral biotic components in the most [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Jun
03

FOGSL, University of Colombo unravels the mysterious migratory journeys of enigmatic waterbirds of Sri Lanka

Part 03: The Himalayan Crossing of Brown-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus) – 2022 It is with great excitement that we announce the second Himalayan crossing of a tagged bird of our CAF migration tracking project in Sri Lanka. After witnessing the trans-Himalayan crossing of our first tagged Brown-headed Gull (Hima Kumari) last year, we have just [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Mar
21

An Asteroid Named to Honour University of Colombo

On March 21, 2022 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially named an asteroid to honour the University of Colombo. The University of Colombo alumnus, Dr Nalin Samarasinha, and fellow astronomer, Dr Tod Lauer, discovered this asteroid in 2000 from the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA. Recently, after its orbit was well established, the […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Mar
08

The agricultural symbol of Sri Lanka for global recognition

“We explored the unseen nutritional world of Sri Lankan rice varieties with a positive impact of cultivation seasonal variation” Every person needs to get a nutritional and healthy diet for their growth and development. But, in present nutritional properties or dietary requirements is being decreased from the main diet due to various anthropogenic activities. Rice […]

By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Nov
06

Towards a Greener Future in Sri Lankan Export Agriculture

With the progress gained by humans in their civilization, many important landmark achievements were made and all these contributed for humans to become the dominant species on this earth. However, with the beginning of industrial revolution which was one of the turning points of human history, some adverse impacts of development also came into existence [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Oct
16

Novel Polyherbal Formulation with Rapid Skin Repair Potential

Invention selected by WIPO EIE programme - to be mentored by University of Oxford Our skin is the largest organ in the body. It harbors a wide range of “stem cell niches” which help maintain skin stability. Stem cells are the raw material that make and maintain the human body, with their inherent ability to [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Sep
28

A Healthy Glass of Water Against the Silent Killer

"We are trapped between kidney diseases and day-to-day income" A common yet despairing phrase among individuals, particularly in North Central Sri Lanka. Some of them might not know that the water they drink is contaminated with inorganic species such as heavy metals and fluoride, which is considered hazardous in many parts of the world. Chronic [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Sep
08

A microbial bio-fertilizer to replace 50% urea usage in rice

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. To obtain required rice yields sufficient to feed the increasing world population, with the challenge of decreasing arable lands, increased productivity needs to be aimed at. Specified amounts of inorganic fertilizers containing three major nutrients N, P, K are therefore being added [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News
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Aug
29

Ethnic Reality of Sri Lankans: A Hidden Story Unravelled

How related are we to each other? Can we predict the kinship between two individuals no matter how distant and complex the relationship is? Are Sri Lankans truly one big family? How related are we to other nationalities? These intriguing questions that have piqued the interest of many Sri Lankans have finally being addressed, in [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Jun
25

Sri Lankan Bats and Bat-Coronaviruses

ENGLISH සිංහල தமிழ் New Scientific Finding by the Scientists of the University of Colombo; Sri Lankan Bats and Bat-Coronaviruses "Corona" has been a word that tormented a whole world for more than a year since the end of 2019. What is this Corona? It created a global level pandemic by infecting more than 180 million [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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Apr
10

Transgenic mosquito resistant to multiple serotypes of the dengue virus

Development of the first transgenic Animal in Sri Lanka Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo in collaboration with the Molecular Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya The dengue virus causes epidemics in more than 100 tropical and sub-tropical countries, where over 2.5 billion people (over 40% of the world's population) [...]
By University of Colombo University of Colombo | News . Research News . Science
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