Veterinary behaviorist Stephanie Borns-Weil, V07, and emergency/critical care veterinary technician Michelle Damon from the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, respond Many of us were taught that “scruffing” a cat—or grabbing the animal by the loose skin at the back of the neck—is not only an effective mode of restraint, but also causes cats to relax. The thought behind this is that kittens relax when their mom carries them by the scruff. Unfortunately, that argument is flawed. Mother cats only carry kittens by the scruff for the first few weeks of life. They can do that because kittens have a reflex in which their bodies go totally limp when picked up by the scruff—a reflex that is lost by adolescence.

An admissions professional with wide experience, he comes to Tufts from Swarthmore Joseph “JT” Duck has been named the new dean of admissions for the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. The director of admissions for Swarthmore College since 2014, he joins Tufts on September 12.

For twenty-five years, he kept Tufts School of Dental Medicine online, with a smile There has hardly been a patient, student, teacher, or employee who has come through One Kneeland Street in the past twenty-five years whose experience wasn’t improved by Kevin O’Dea. O’Dea, who oversaw IT at the School of Dental Medicine, played a key role in every major technology initiative there for several decades. When he died July 28, he left a legacy of not only technical achievement. He left a dental school community that will miss his easy-going manner, his unceasing willingness to help, his patience, and his smile.

A Tufts assistant professor of biomedical engineering explains how they start and how they can migrate The Tufts video series Ever Wonder features faculty and other experts answering questions for the curious about all manner of topics—from how we forget to why cats purr. You can view the series at https://everwonder.tufts.edu, and submit your own questions, too.

New study shows that GI ultrasounds may reveal source of life-threatening illness for rabbits Gastrointestinal issues are the most common emergency that brings pet rabbits—the third most popular companion small mammal in the U.S.—to the Foster Hospital for Small Animals.

Students from underrepresented backgrounds doing research with Tufts faculty this summer talk about their experiences Whether diving into the history of a local beach for an art project or programming solutions to interpret drone data, the fifteen students in Tufts’ Visiting and Early Research Scholar Experience (VERSE) program have been busy learning on the job this summer working with Tufts faculty mentors.

Jeanne Goldberg of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy offers advice for making smart food decisions In today’s social media world, it’s easier than ever to find “facts”—and increasingly difficult to figure out which of them are actually true. Reporting based on findings of nutrition research, in particular, is rife with exaggerations, contradictions, and flat-out inaccuracies. Many people end up making food decisions based on this flawed advice, instead of following tried-and-true guidelines.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos tells a Tufts podcast how he fought the odds to create peace in his native Colombia after more than fifty years of war Tell Me More is a Tufts University podcast featuring brief conversations with the thinkers, artists, makers, and shapers of our world. Listen and learn something new every episode.

Researchers from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine launch a clinical study for dogs needing back surgery Opioids are among the most effective pain relievers in dogs and cats, but amid the U.S. opioid crisis it has become much more difficult for animal hospitals to access these drugs. This, coupled with the potential for abuse of opioids by pet owners or others, makes it increasingly imperative that veterinarians pursue alternatives.