The Buffalo, since ancient times, has been an animal of great reverence owing to its social and cultural significance in the Sri Lankan society. Many chronicles and rock inscriptions (e.g. Galapatha Raja Maha Viharaya, Aluthgama and Hevevissa Korale, Kurunegala) bear ample testimony to this fact. Owning and managing buffalo and cattle herds were considered a…
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…
Rice is the dietary staple for half of the world population. In most Asian countries, the annual per capita consumption of rice is greater than 110 kg and it is reported to provide major nutrients namely carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), and also fat in significant quantities. Further, the contribution of rice towards the…
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 observed another successful Himalayan crossing. Again, it is another Brown-headed Gull that…
Research Team: Dr. Thilini A. Perera, Prof. Shamala Tirimanne, Prof. Gamini Seneviratne, Prof. S. A. Kulasooriya 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…
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…
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. “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 people…
Even though it has been buried with the COVID-19 pandemic, Dengue has been a major epidemic spanning across the world in tropical as well as subtropical countries. Over the decades it has been infecting millions of people, claiming thousands of lives every year, and leaving 40% of the world population (2.4 billion) at risk of…
Every once in a while, new species are being discovered, and when that happens it brings a new perspective to our understanding of the world around us. From small gelatinous blobs in the deep sea to birds soaring high sky, spanning across every habit and niche, these species bring fresh insights to nature and biodiversity….
“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 kidney…
