In 2014, BGI, a Chinese company, is hoping that it will soon be able to offer parents a similar option—choosing the “smartest” embryo.
The goal is to find the genes for high intelligence (as defined by an IQ test). The second phase will be to use this knowledge to allow parents to have embryos created through artificial reproductive technologies tested for these high IQ genes. Then only the smartest embryos would be implanted.
The company assumes that 50-80% of intelligence is inherited. This “fact” is controvertible. Some researchers claim inheritance is 40% of intelligence while others hold the number may be 50%. BGI’s assumption is just that, as nurture and environment have a great deal to do actual intelligence. There are a lot of challenges to these studies and this assumption.
Read the full, original story: BUILDING THE BETTER BABY
