News | The Sri Lankan Scientist

Sri Lankan Ocean Girl Dr.Asha Honored with an Expedition Ship Deck in Her Name

June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

Dr. Asha de Vos, the world famous Sri Lankan Marine Biologist and Ocean Educator now has an expedition ship deck in her name. Aurora Expeditions, one of the world’s leading expedition cruise operators last week announced the latest addition to their fleet “Sylvia Earle”. Celebrating the world ocean day the company announced that they are honoring worlds leading female conservationists by naming the decks of the new vessel under their names. Dr. Asha share a deck named after herself with Hanli Prinsloo, a Freediver and Ocean Conservationist.

Agriculture / News

Sri Lanka Going Organic: Rethink the strategy; Agriculturists Write to President

June 8, 2021June 22, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - 4 Comments.

As per a policy decision by the Sri Lankan Government the country is moving toward an eco-friendly sustainable agricultural system by promoting organic farming within the country. Going with this decision the government issued the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2226/48 of May 6, 2021, banning the importation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with immediate effect. As a country which relies heavily on agriculture this decision came as a surprise and discussions, arguments and debates began surfacing over the good and bad sides of it.

Environment / News

#GenerationRestoration World Environment Day 2021

June 5, 2021June 22, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

With the entire world battling the unseen enemy in the name of COVID 19, we celebrate the World Environment Day for the year 2021 today. With this year’s theme for the World Environment Day #GenerationRestoration, United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) is launching a 10-year program to push the global community to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation.

Health sciences / News

Sputnik Light, the Single Dose Version of Sputnik V Authorized in Russia

May 7, 2021May 7, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

Yesterday, 6th April 2021, the Russian Ministry of Health, the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announced that Sputnik Light, a single dose COVID-19 vaccine, has received authorization for use in Russia.

Health sciences / Lab Technology / News

SLINTEC Obtains NMRA GMP License for Their COVID Test Kit, Commercial Manufacturing to Commence Soon

May 1, 2021May 1, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - 2 Comments.

In a special press release today, 1st of May 2021 the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) announced obtaining the GMP license from NMRA for manufacturing their COVID 19 Rapid Test Kit RT-LAMP.

Health sciences / News

COVID Variant B.1.1.7: Some Key Facts You Should Know

April 28, 2021April 28, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

In a special announcement today the scientists at Sri Jayewardenepura University revealed the COVID 19 virus strain behind the recent increase of the cases to be the variant B.1.1.7 which was first identified in United Kingdom during the month September 2020. According to the observations in UK this variant was found to be associated with increased admissibility and higher virulance.

Environment / News

CIR Sri Lanka Launch Bufferzone: a Web Portal for Environmental Storytelling

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

Center for Investigative Reporting Sri Lanka, today launched “The_BufferZone”, a new environmental multimedia storytelling platform in a live virtual event today, 22nd April 2021.

Health sciences / News

Sri Lankan Scientists Introduce a Face Mask Made from Materials Improved with Nanotechnology

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

In a special event held today a group of scientists from the University of Peradeniya introduced a new face mask with a 99% efficiency in removing and repelling harmful organisms …

Astronomy / News

Another Historic Day for NASA as Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars Today

February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

Today, 18th February 2021 is going to be another historic day for NASA as their latest MARS exploration Rover lands on Mars today. The perseverance rover will be the fifth …

News

FITI 2020 Research Conference Held in Colombo

December 19, 2020December 19, 2020 - by Sisira Kumara - Leave a Comment

Jointly organized by the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) and the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission (SLIC), the research conference “From Innovation to Impact -2020” (FITI-2020) was held in Colombo on 16th December 2020 with the participation of limited number of participants including researchers and invited guests. The conference had been organized as the second in a series to be held annually. FITI 2020 was technically co-sponsored by IEEE and the IEEE Sri Lanka Section. SLIC was the financial sponsor of this event.