November CEM seminar guest, Andrea Graham (Princeton University) is a part of the latest released Ask a Biologist podcast. Dr. Graham talks with Dr. Biology about the immune systems of Soay Sheep in St. Kilda. Brought to the islands by humans during Neolithic times, the sheep are an isolated group that allow for the study of host-parasite interactions over long periods of time. Sheep outlive their mice counterparts by decades. Since the sheep live without human interventions and vaccination they make an excellent model for observation. You can listen to the podcast here.

The Graham lab studies how natural selection has shaped strategies for both host defense and parasite transmission. The lab is especially interested in immunological conflicts posed by co-infection, the effects of strong immune responses upon both host and parasite fitness, and selection pressures that shape the speed and specificity of immune responses.

Dr. Graham also discussed antibodies in health and disease and made comparisons between populations of sheep, humans and mice during her visit to CEM. You can listen and watch her seminar lecture here.

Dr. Graham will be a plenary speaker at the 2016 International Society of Evolution, Medicine & Public Health Meeting, June 22-25^th in Durham, North Carolina. You can learn more about the conference here.