Latest news with #Harvard
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Harvard trained gut doctor ranks 10 foods for the gut-brain axis on a scale of 1 to 10: Idli and yoghurt to fruit juice
Dr Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist and 'Harvard and Stanford trained expert', took to Instagram on June 19 to rank 10 foods for your gut-brain axis. In a post he titled, 'Harvard-trained gut doctor ranks 10 foods for the gut-brain axis on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is the best)', Dr Sethi said, 'your mental wellness starts in your gut'. Also read | You are what you digest: Know how gut health affects everything, from mood to metabolism In the video he posted, Dr Sethi ranked 10 everyday foods on a scale of 1-10 'based on how they impact your gut-brain connection, mental clarity, mood, focus, and stress response'. Here's his rating: ⦿ Sweet potato: 5/10 ⦿ Idli: 6/10 ⦿ Movie popcorn: 4/10 ⦿ Broccoli and cauliflower: 8/10 ⦿ Blueberries: 7/10 ⦿ Granola bars: 3/10 ⦿ Fruit juice: 2/10 ⦿ Avocado: 9/10 ⦿ White bread: 1/10 ⦿ Unsweetened yoghurt: 10/10 Let's break down Dr Sethi's rankings and explore why these foods scored the way they did for the gut-brain axis. Top scorers – unsweetened yoghurt (10/10), avocado, broccoli and cauliflower – are rich in probiotics, which support beneficial gut bacteria, provide healthy fats, fibre, and various micronutrients and are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, respectively, and therefore, support gut health and brain function. Middle of the pack are blueberries, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, idli, a fermented food that contains probiotics that can benefit gut health, and sweet potato, a good source of fibre and vitamins. Meanwhile, lower scorers, such as popcorn, granola bars, fruit juice, and white bread, can negatively impact gut health. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
As federal funding cuts hit Harvard, a private investment firm and other donors step up
At a time when Harvard University is experiencing deep cuts to its federal funding and looking for alternative avenues for money, Turkish investment firm, İş Private Equity, committed $39 million over 10 years to support a Harvard faculty member's lab, according to the university. The investment, through the private equity firm's biotech startup, is aimed at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health faculty member Gökhan Hotamışlıgil's work, aiming to create potential therapies for obesity and other metabolic diseases. Read more: Federal judge delays decision over Trump admin barring Harvard foreign students The privately sourced funding could be a highly pursued avenue for the institution, as the federal government strips nearly $3 billion of its federal dollars and additional contracts in the name of addressing antisemitism. 'Harvard Chan School has long welcomed industry collaborations and research sponsorship, with strong guardrails to prevent conflicts of interest,' Andrea Baccarelli, Dean of the Faculty at Harvard Chan School, wrote in a letter to the community last week. Initial funding of Hotamışlıgil's more than 20 years of work came from the National Institutes of Health. It helped uncover new insights about the metabolic system and identified a protein that plays a critical role in obesity and age-related disorders, according to the university. The lab didn't have any current federal grants canceled at the time of the investment firm's announcement, a university spokesperson said. Harvard has also been dealing with a wave of federal research grant terminations and was barred from acquiring new federal grants. While a federal judge on Monday ordered that the Trump administration restore 367 National Institutes of Health grants, it doesn't apply to a broad swath of grants, including the large numbers at Harvard. The Harvard Chan School announced in April that it was facing a 'significant budget crisis' resulting in layoffs and the non-renewal of two building leases. Since then, every one of the school's direct federal grants have been terminated and the school has even taken to social media to ask for donations. Federal funding makes up 46% of Harvard Chan School's budget. At the same time as the investment firm is putting money into Harvard, others have been pitching in as well. Donors have contributed more than $3.5 million in recent weeks and alumni and members of the public have raised $350,000 for Harvard Chan School, according to a letter from Dean Baccarelli. 'Each contribution is a vote of confidence in our mission, our people and our future,' she said. The school also created a new Dean's Leadership Fund for existing donors to support. 'Harvard Chan School will emerge from this crisis a focused, resilient and unambiguously world-class school of public health, dedicated to excellence and impact and strengthened by surprising, solutions-focused partnerships," she wrote. 20 NIH grants restored to UMass system after judge rules against Trump admin Trump admin asks court to rule against Harvard without a trial Federal judge orders Trump admin to reinstate hundreds of NIH grants Federal judge delays decision over Trump admin barring Harvard foreign students Harvard's Monday court date will be important for international students. Here's why Read the original article on MassLive. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nineteen US colleges are among the best global universities, US News says
Nineteen United States institutions nabbed top positions in the top 100 global universities, according to 2025-2026 U.S. News and World Report rankings. Of those, Harvard University earned first place and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took second. Stanford University was third, followed by the University of California, Berkeley in sixth, the University of Washington, Seattle in eighth, Yale University in ninth and Columbia University in 10th. Outside of the top 10, were the University of California Los Angeles (13), Johns Hopkins University (14) and the University of Pennyslvania (15). Cornell University, Princeton University, the University of California San Francisco all took 16th place. Beyond those were: the University of California San Diego (21), the University of Michigan (21), California Institute of Technology (23), Northwestern University (24), the University of Chicago (26) and Duke University (27). Read more: 'Far reaching consequences' — UMass Amherst sounds the alarm amid federal uncertainty The ranking includes 2,250 top institutions, spread across 105 countries. The rankings are evaluated by Clarivate™, which creates a group of 2,346 universities that are used to rank the top 2,250 schools. Then the institutions were ranked based on 13 indicators, which included global and regional research reputation, publications, books, conferences and international collaboration. The publication said the list provides 'insight into how U.S. universities — which U.S. News has been ranking separately for nearly 40 years — stand globally," according to its website. 'Far reaching consequences' — UMass Amherst sounds the alarm amid federal uncertainty MIT joins group of universities suing the DOD over funding cuts As federal funding cuts hit Harvard, a private investment firm and other donors step up 20 NIH grants restored to UMass system after judge rules against Trump admin Trump admin asks court to rule against Harvard without a trial Read the original article on MassLive.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I grew up in Asia and considered getting my MBA in the US last year. I'm glad I changed my mind.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Prahlad Narasimhan Chari, 30, an MBA student who was applying to a university in the US but withdrew his application and went to a school in Barcelona. His words have been edited for length and clarity. Everyone around me in Hong Kong — and my relatives in India — seemed to think that pursuing an MBA in the US was the obvious choice. Friends and cousins who had gone before me raved about their experiences. But I didn't do it. Instead, I pulled the plug on my US application. The decision felt big at the time — even a little risky. I grew up in Asia I was born in India, and my dad's job as a marine engineer had my family moving often — first across India, then to Guangzhou, China when I was 10. Four years later, we moved again, this time to Hong Kong, where I spent my teens and early adulthood. I stayed in Hong Kong for college and graduated with a bachelor's in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017. I hadn't considered going to the US for my undergrad — my parents were funding my education and couldn't afford it. After graduating and spending a summer traveling across Asia, I started working at Philip Morris International as a management trainee. A few years later, I pivoted into cybersecurity, managing both technical and commercial teams. I loved the problem-solving aspect of it, but I knew I was hitting a ceiling when it came to business fluency. I didn't feel like I could confidently speak the language of finance or strategy in the boardroom. That's what led me to apply for an MBA. I started prepping for business school applications in August 2023 and hit submit between November and December that year. Business schools in the US I was applying to the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, but withdrew my application after I was accepted to IESE Business School in Barcelona. I had been interested in Darden because, like Harvard and IESE, it offers a fully case-based curriculum. I had also considered applying to Harvard, but given that my GMAT score was not outstanding, it felt like a long shot. Outside the US, I also considered London Business School and HEC Paris Business School. Everyone around me — including my dad — assumed I'd head to the US. Many of my cousins had already settled there. But for me, the decision came down to three things: cost, visa uncertainty, and a chance to explore Europe. 1. Cost First, the financial reality. I'm self-funding my living expenses and half the MBA costs. For the other half, I've taken out a loan in Barcelona. A US program may have cost me double the price of one in Europe, not just in tuition, but also in living costs. The degree at IESE costs 105,000 euros, or $121,000, and runs for 19 months. In comparison, Darden's program takes 21 months and costs $121,108 per year — adding up to over $240,000. In Spain, I'm paying around €900 a month in rent. My total spending — including traveling around Europe, food, and events — adds up to around €2,000 a month. 2. Visa I knew that staying and working in the US post-MBA would not be guaranteed with an Indian passport. I'd have to go through the H-1B lottery system, which I've heard has become increasingly unreliable. And, with the ongoing Trump Harvard ban, the current outlook is more uncertain for immigrants. Europe, by contrast, does have some post-study work options, and Spain in particular has been open to international graduates looking to stay and build careers. 3. Europe Third — and maybe most importantly — I was ready for a change in lifestyle. After living in Asia for most of my life, I wanted to experience Europe. Since making the move, I've realized that Barcelona appeals to me not just for its climate and culture, but for its work-life balance. People here value time and productivity in a different way. For example, I rarely see people scrolling on their phones here, in comparison to Hong Kong, where you'll see couples staring at their devices while on a date. The pace of life in Hong Kong often felt overwhelming. At first, in Barcelona, I was frustrated by things like shops closing on Sundays, but now, I value that built-in pause. I now have time to cook, time to rest, time to hike. I'm learning to live slower, and I didn't realize how much I needed that. No regrets I moved to Barcelona in March 2024, four months after getting accepted to IESE. My first year has been everything I hoped for. The program has around 450 students, split into six sections, each with around 75 students. The classroom is diverse, intense, and collaborative. My team includes people from Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, England, Chile, and the US, and I've learned as much from them as I have from the curriculum. I've also just secured a summer internship with a company in Barcelona. I'd love to stay in Spain or maybe move to the Netherlands, Germany, or the UK. There were moments of doubt when I decided not to consider US schools, but the day I met my MBA team — eight people from eight different countries — I knew I'd made the right call. For some, the US makes total sense. But for me, and others — especially those who are international, self-funded, and aiming for global careers — Europe has a lot to offer. It did for me.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Super Natural by Alex Riley: Boil it, drown it, nuke it - but you can't kill it
Super Natural: how life thrives in impossible places by Alex Riley (Atlantic Books £22, 368pp) A tiny animal called a tardigrade was first identified in 1861, and described as 'a little puppy-shaped animal very busy pawing about . . . a very comical amusing fellow'. They've also been called 'water bears' and 'moss piglets'. What's truly staggering, says Alex Riley in this brilliant new book, is 'that such a squishy and microscopically cuddly animal would turn out to be so extraordinarily tough'. They can live at 6,000 metres above sea level, survive in boiling water for half an hour. They can endure pressures of 1,000 atmospheres and radiation 1,000 times the lethal dose for humans. Oh, and they're fine about being fired into space, and surviving space vacuum and solar and galactic radiation with aplomb. Their secret appears to be an ability to dehydrate, yet remain alive. In this state they don't even age. Tardigrades are a key reason scientists think that total sterilisation of the Earth would be impossible. 'Once life begins on a planet,' said a team from Oxford and Harvard, 'it is likely to endure.' There are fish that live at 2c below freezing, fungi that flourish inside the Chernobyl reactor, and turtles that don't need to take a breath for six months. Riley is good at sketching the geeks at the forefront of the research. One, supposedly an expert on mammalian hibernation, now cheerfully admits, after years of close study, that 'they've confused the living crap out of me'. It's as if the more we learn about nature, the more we don't understand. Surviving on very little oxygen, bar-headed geese migrate over the Himalayas, flying at an impossible 8,000 metres, thanks to some brilliant adaptations in their blood cells and lungs. There's the possibility that the geese have been flying this route for over 50 million years, since before the Himalayas were there. Another lesson from nature is that destruction is also creation. Two billion years ago, photosynthetic bacteria nearly exterminated life on Earth when they began to belch out oxygen, a gas hitherto very rare in our atmosphere. Yet after a huge die-off, new life forms emerged to exploit this resource. Some 440 million years ago, trees quickly colonised the ancient supercontinent of Pangaea, and sucked up mega-tonnes of CO2 in the process, thus abruptly 'turning a greenhouse world into an ice world'. Some 85 per cent of all species became extinct. Today, the disaster of Chernobyl has a sobering lesson, too. Nature flourishes and multiplies here because the humans have left. Nature doesn't really mind radiation; what it can't cope with is people. James Lovelock, of the Gaia theory, suggested that the best way to protect the tropical rainforests would be to dump radioactive waste there, 'to exclude humans'. Riley takes comfort in the resilience of nature. While he's dismayed by erratic climate change and collapsing biodiversity, none of these can really threaten life on Earth, though they may well threaten us. The tardigrades will keep going, evolving into new and unimaginable forms of life.
