Nov. 2, 2010 At a global scale, the sickle cell gene is most
commonly found in areas with historically high levels of
malaria, adding geographical support to the hypothesis that the
gene, while potentially deadly, avoids disappearing through
natural selection by providing protection against malaria. In a
study funded by the Wellcome Trust, geographers, biologists and
statisticians at the University of Oxford, together with
colleagues from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Programme in Kenya,
have produced the first detailed global map showing the
distribution of the sickle cell gene. The results are published
in the journal Nature Communications. Haemoglobin S (HbS) is
known to cause sickle cell disease, which is usually fatal if
untreated. Natural selection suggests that such a
disadvantageous gene should not survive, yet it is common in
people of African, Mediterranean and Indian origin. More than
sixty years ago, researchers observed that the sickle cell gene
tended to be more common in populations living in, or or