Is your guardian angel… jaundice??
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by parasites. But there might be an interesting way your body fights it.
Bilirubin is a substance that forms when red blood cells degrade. Too much of it can lead to yellowing of the skin known as jaundice – a common symptom of malaria.
Enter Ana Figueiredo and team from the Gulbenkian Institute. They examined the relationship between jaundice and malaria in mice.
And? All mice without the bilirubin gene died from malaria, but they survived when the gene was present. So jaundice is actually a sign your body is fighting the disease!
Who knew changing colors was a superpower?!
Reference: Figueiredo A., Rastogi S., Ramos S., et al. (2025). A metabolite-based resistance mechanism against malaria. Science388 eadq6741. DOI:10.1126/science.adq6741