Dig into the science of how a single genetic mutation alters the structure of hemoglobin and leads to sickle-cell disease. -- What shape are your cells? Squishy cylinders? Jagged zig-zags? You might not spend a lot of time thinking about the bodies of these building blocks, but microscopically, small variations can have huge consequences. And while some adaptations change these shapes for the better, others can spark debilitating complications. Amber Yates dives into the science of the malignant sickle-cell mutation. Lesson by Amber M. Yates, directed by Axon Animation LLC. Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-this-disease-changes-the-shape-of-your-cells-amber-m-yates Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Rodrigo Carballo, Boytsov Ilya, EdoKun, Misaki Sato, Craig Sheldon, Andrew Bosco, Catherine Sverko, Nik Maier, Mark Morris, Adi V, Peter Liu, Leora Allen, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Michal Salman, Gilly, Ka-Hei Law, Maya Toll, Ricardo Rendon Cepeda, Renhe Ji, Andrés Melo Gámez, Tim Leistikow, Shawar Khan, Chris, Megan Douglas, Barbara Smalley, Filip Dabrowski, Joe Giamartino, Clair Chen, Vik Nagjee, Karen Goepen-Wee, Della Palacios, Stephanie Perozo, Marc Bilodeau, Ivan Tsenov, Claudia Mayfield, Pavel Zalevskiy, Yankai Liu, Duo Xu, Ghassan Alhazzaa, Miloš Stevanović, Joy Love Om, Gi Nam Lee, Shawn Quichocho, Anika Westburg, Brandy Jones, Devin Harris, Tony Trapuzzano, Jason Weinstein, Kris Siverhus and Alexander Walls.