Research

Manfred Milinski has shown that sexual reproduction is an important strategy in the evolutionary arms race between hosts and their ever-changing parasites. Olfactory mate choice optimises the offspring’s resistance against predominating infectious diseases and thereby helps balancing the usually enormous polymorphism of the vertebrate MHC immune system.

In his second main field of research “Evolutionary Economy” Manfred Milinski is known for important contributions for the function of reputation for human cooperation. His present research is concentrated on the question, under which conditions humans would invest in sustaining the global climate.