sickle a cell disease is a serious condiditon which causes much pain and suffering and can cause significantly shortened lifespan in humans with the disease. in order to have sickle cell disease, a person must be homozygous recessive for the disease; in other words, they must have two copies of the mutated gene. a fascinating discovery related to the sickle cell mutation was discovered in human populations in parts of africa where the mosquito-carried disease malaria is common. Researchers found evidence that humans who are carriers of the sickle cell mutation (meaning they have one copy of the mutated gene, but do not have the disease) are less likely to contract malaria, and less likely to get very sick if they do contract malaria. Which statement best explains how natural selection has resulted in the sickle cell mutation persisting in certain human population?
a. in areas where the incidence of malaria is high, having the sickel cell trait increases a person's chance of surviving malaria, thus improving the chance that a person will survive and reproduce.
b. if a person with sickle cell disease also gets malaria, they will more likely to recover from malaria.
c. in areas where the incidence of malaira is low, having sickel cell disease increases the chance that a person will survive and reproduce.
d. sickle cell disease is an often fatal trait, so individuals with the disease are n ot liekly to reproduce and pass on the trait
1 answer
a. in areas where the incidence of malaria is high, having the sickle cell trait increases a person's chance of surviving malaria, thus improving the chance that a person will survive and reproduce.