Heard on Campus: C. Jessica Metcalf on ‘life history evolution’

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Oct. 29, Princeton University professor C. Jessica Metcalf presented the Science Achievement Graduate Fellows lecture, titled “Life History Evolution of Hosts in a Microbial World.”

Metcalf, who was formerly a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State, described how hosts have evolved their life history strategies to fit a microbial world.

“Studying the immune system is like studying a giant terrifying arachnid,” she said.

In three vignettes focused on immune functioning, tradeoffs, and tolerance, Metcalf explored how life expectancy influences host life history strategies across a range of species.