QUIZ
Launch ↗ Sickle Cell Simulation
A single nucleotide change in the HBB gene alters one amino acid in hemoglobin, and that tiny change makes red blood cells bend into rigid sickles that clog blood vessels. The same allele protects carriers against malaria, which is why it persists. This simulation follows one mutation from genotype to codon to cell shape to blood flow.
Launch InteractiveTopics covered
- Point mutations
- Alleles and genotypes
- Codons and mRNA
- Hemoglobin and red blood cells
- Sickle cell disease
- Heterozygote advantage
- Malaria and natural selection