For decades, we’ve known from twin studies that psychological traits like intelligence and personality are influenced by genes…But what twin studies can’t tell us is which particular genes are involved.
Frustratingly,…[critics have] been able to say “you’re telling me these traits are genetic, but you can’t tell me any of the specific genes!” But not any more.
With a new method, “polygenic scoring”, behaviour geneticists can now look to see whether people have specific genetic variants or not, and based on this, make some impressively accurate predictions about how they will behave in the future.
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Two new papers have applied this technique in the context of educational success….
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The children with more education-linked genes (that is, higher polygenic scores) learned to read faster. They did better on intelligence tests. They were more likely to go to university, and less likely to have financial problems.
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These varying interpretations – and the quickly advancing science – are why it’s crucial to begin a proper, fact-based debate about the potential uses of these genetic predictors.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: We’re finally startng to understand the ‘genetics of success’
