The study shows that TORC1, a key controller of cell growth, doesn’t just turn on or off. Instead, different proteins adjust its activity based on how much nitrogen the cell has. When nutrients are low but not gone, the cell slows its growth and shifts its metabolism to adapt. But when nitrogen runs out completely, an additional regulator steps in to fully shut down TORC1, putting the cell into a resting state. This reveals that cells use a layered system to fine-tune growth, not a single switch — a strategy that may be shared across many organisms.