This activity explores the concepts and research presented in the short film Sickle Cell: Natural Selection in Humans, which explores the connection between sickle cell disease and malaria.
The film focuses on the work that scientist Dr. Tony Allison conducted in East Africa in the 1950s; he and his colleagues found a striking connection between sickle cell disease and the infectious parasitic disease malaria. His research and that of other scientists showed that individuals with sickle cell “trait” (meaning they are heterozygous for the sickle cell allele) are protected from malaria. Since Allison’s work, additional research — including that of hematologist Dr. Natasha Archer, who is also featured in the film — has determined that the sickle cell allele protects against malaria by making it harder for the parasite to replicate. Other inherited conditions that affect red blood cells — such as thalassemia, ovalocytosis, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme deficiency — also provide a selective advantage in areas with malaria.
The “Student Handout” probes students’ understanding of the key concepts addressed in the film. The “Educator Materials” document provides suggested pause points in the film with questions for students, detailed discussion points, an answer key for the “Student Handout,” a list of references, and an appendix with background information and illustrations.
The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
