Sickle Cell

« Back to Glossary Index

Sickle Cell is a spontaneous mutation within humans which caused red blood cells to mutate into the shape of “sickles” or “crescents” which are invisible to the disease.  This mutation is hailed as a “beneficial mutation” by evolution.  However, genetic research has shown that the mutation was a genetic mistake that lost information, which counterintuitively, provided a survival benefit in the infected.  Genetic researchers have identified that a single amino acid letter of a 146 amino acid protein chain caused this mutation that altered the shape of the red blood cell.  Sickle Cell befalls the offspring of infected parents and causes new diseases called Sickle Cell Disease.  The clear benefit to the offspring was the survival of the deadly disease of Malaria.  If we stop there, then a spontaneous mutation has provided a beneficial trait that was passed to its offspring which emerged as humans surviving the normally deadly Malaria virus—this is Darwinian evolution’s assumed mechanism- random spontaneous mutations haphazardly rewriting genetic code.  However, as individuals infected with Sickle Cell reproduce (natural selection), the more Sickle Cell Disease expands into the human populations. The disease has locked its deadly consequences into genetics– proving natural selection does work– only in the wrong direction.  The disease has symptoms including anemia, fatigue, extreme tiredness, and jaundice.  Over time, Sickle Cell Disease can lead to complications such as infections, delayed growth, and episodes of chronic and ongoing pain.  Over a lifetime, the disease could harm the individual’s spleen, brain, eyes, lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, penis, joints, bones, or skin.  Does this sound like a beneficial spontaneous mutation to you?

« Back to Glossary Index