Open Question
Epidemiologic data on the population in the previous problem reveal that before the application of modern medical treatment, natural selection played a major role in shaping the frequencies of alleles. Heterozygous individuals have the highest relative fitness, and in comparison with heterozygotes, those who are βᴬβᴬ have a relative fitness of 82%, but only about 32% of those with SCD survived to reproduce. What are the estimated equilibrium frequencies of βᴬ and βˢ in this population?