Chapter 1.4, Problem 2CC

MAKE CONNECTIONS Ø The gene that causes sickle-cell disease is present in a higher percentage of residents of sub-Saharan Africa than among those of African descent living in the United States. Even though this gene causes sickle-cell disease, it also provides some protection from malaria, a serious disease that is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa but absent in the United States. Discuss an evolutionary process that could account for the different percentages of the sickle-cell gene among residents of the two regions. (See Concept 1.2.)