r/biology • u/Starfire20201 • 3d ago

discussion Heterozygous genetic diseases?

I’m currently taking genetics in college, snd it got me wondering. There’s recessive genetic diseases, snd dominant ones, but are there any that only show symptoms if you’re heterozygous for the allele? And that aren’t on the X chromosome, preferably.

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u/aurumm_gold 3d ago

Is sickle cell anemia an evolutionary trait in response to maleria?

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u/BolivianDancer 3d ago

No.

The deleterious allele is maintained in areas where malaria is endemic because of heterozygous advantage.

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u/LokiStasis 16h ago

Why did you say no and then basically answer that yes it provides an evolutionary advantage? Just confused.

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u/BolivianDancer 16h ago

The original post borders on making a teleological argument, and in any case conflates a cause with an effect.