sickle-cell anemia

February 28 is Rare Disease Day – a concept first initiated by the European Rare Disease Organization (EURORDIS) and now recognized around the world. Around 6,800 rare diseases have been...

In the United States alone, about 100,000 people have sickle cell disease and roughly one in 500 black or African-American babies is born with it. The genetic mutation underlying this condition causes red blood cells to take on a "sickle" shape, which makes it harder to deliver oxygen to certain parts of the body. But why would a mutation that causes a harmful disease survive through evolution to the high frequency with which we observe it today?

Almost since the 1871 publication of “The Descent of Man,” in which Charles Darwin applied his theory of natural selection to the human species, biologists have argued over whether the...

Last week in the Blog we reported on a new study that identified an interesting genetic trade-off – a genetic variant known that has one effect on a person’s vulnerability...