Haldane's Hypothesis: Disease And Evolution Flashcards
What is Haldane’s Hypothesis?
It considers the impact of disease on the biological evolution of man. He studied the role of disease in influencing natural selection and concluded that there must be a major impact of disease in evolution (in the case of man)
What did he base his research on?
Studies on Malaria and some on Tuberculosis
What supported his idea?
Gene mutations accounting for disease resistance gave seective advantage and were the mos prominent in the development of the human genome as it is today
Many of the mutations Haldane studied were polymorphisms… What does this suggest?
Advantage derived from heterozygosity
Which mutations did Haldane suggest may confer increased resistance to Malaria?
Mutations in the alpha and beta chains of Hb seen in certain populations
