For the first time, an experimental treatment made from human embryonic stem cells has shown evidence of helping someone, partly restoring sight to two people suffering from slowly progressing forms of blindness.GALLE, Sri Lanka – A nocturnal, forest-dwelling primate with orb-like eyes and short limbs was photographed in central Sri Lanka late last year after being feared extinct, researchers said Monday.
A Horton Plains slender loris was caught on camera after lengthy surveys of the forest by researchers from the Zoological Society of London, the University of Colombo and the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Team leader Saman Gamage said the mammal had not been sighted for more than 60 years until 2002, when a researcher reported spotting its eyes during a search – inspiring the effort to view it fully and photograph it to prove the primate existed.
“We are thrilled to have captured the first ever photographs and prove its continued existence,” said Craig Turner, a conservation biologist with the Zoological Society.
The primate’s population is thought to have begun dwindling in the mountain forest habitat after British colonial rulers from the 19th century cleared large tracts of forest for coffee and tea plantations, Gamage said.
Given its size and nocturnal habits, the 8-inch beast was tough to find.
But the giveaway was in its eerily large, night-vision eyes. Scientists combed the forest canopy with red-filtered flashlights – eventually catching sight of the loris.
Turner said scientists were then able to briefly capture the primate, taking measurements and genetic material before releasing it back into the wild.
