Did you know that sickle cell anemia became a common trait because of its ability to protect its carrier from malaria? The secret lies in the hemoglobin of the sickle cell, it allows the person to tolerate malaria. Interestingly enough, the sickle cell trait is highly selected for in areas with malaria. It is a hereditary trait, requiring 2 copies of the gene in order to exhibit the phenotype of malaria. Ideally, one would want only one gene so as to be more resistant to malaria without the health problems associated with sickle cell. Natural selection at work, and within the last 10,000 years.