Evolution@Vanderbilt

Danial Asgari

A man with short dark hair, a beard, and glasses sits at a lab workstation. He wears a black hoodie and looks toward the camera with a slight smile. Behind him are two computer screens—one showing a terminal with lines of code and the other displaying a flowchart with scientific diagrams. Shelves above the desk hold plastic lab containers labeled “200 uL Filter” and “1000 uL Filter.”

A Conservative Defense: Downstream NFLs Resist Evolutionary Blitzes

May. 9, 2025—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator In football, defense keeps the opposing team in check. A similar strategy is at play inside our cells. Negative feedback loops (NFLs) help regulate how cells respond to signals, for example, dialing down activity when things get too intense. A new study from Vanderbilt University reveals that these...