Distinct malaria parasites may help explain sickle cell trait's protection against disease

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet, afflicting people throughout recorded history. In places where malaria is most common, it's shaped human evolution by driving higher rates of a paradoxically protective genetic change. Two copies of the genetic change cause sickle cell disease, but one copy helps protect people from malaria. Understanding why could help researchers develop new ways to prevent malaria.

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