Ann Tate
A Conservative Defense:聽Downstream NFLs Resist Evolutionary Blitzes
May. 9, 2025 海角情—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...
Vanderbilt Researchers Find Warming Quickens Aging-Related Mortality in Mosquitoes
Sep. 19, 2024—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Mosquitoes tread a thinning line in warming climates, where aging accelerates and infections intensify. New research shows that warming and aging act as a one-two punch, lowering mosquito lifespans and fanning the flames of bacterial infections. These findings highlight how climate change could alter the risks of disease...
Analyzing Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Immune Systems: Computational Biology with Reese Martin
Jul. 22, 2024—By Nick McCoy, Evolutionary Studies undergraduate communications assistant聽 Reese Martin has always been drawn to biology and exploring the behaviors of different organisms. During his childhood, he dug in anthills, and now he observes the life history traits of flower beetles and other taxa. Martin鈥檚 new first-author paper, 鈥淧leiotropy Alleviates the Fitness Costs Associated With...
Vanderbilt Researchers find Evidence for Evolutionary Constraints on Immunity
Mar. 18, 2023—By Dr. Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator A new study led by members of Ann Tate鈥檚 (Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences) lab found evidence that pleiotropy may slow down evolution of genes involved in immunity. Alissa Williams, postdoctoral researcher, and Thi Ngo, lab alumna, equally contributed to the new paper studying the evolution of...
Vanderbilt Team finds Evolutionary Support for Induced Defenses
Mar. 16, 2023—By Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies scientific coordinator Graduate student Reese Martin and his doctoral advisor, Ann Tate, assistant professor of biological sciences, used theoretical modeling to identify a potential relationship between genetic pleiotropy and the evolution of immune responses. The pair authored a paper titled, 鈥淧leiotropy promotes the evolution of inducible immune responses in a...
Trainees of ESI receive high praise
Apr. 8, 2022—By: Andy Flick Evolutionary Studies Initiative scientific coordinator We congratulate all trainees who applied for grants this cycle regardless of the result. Putting together major grants is hard work and a feat in and of itself. So, for those that didn鈥檛 get funded, keep your heads up, we still think you鈥檙e awesome! For the NSF...