‘Smart genes’ account for 20% of intelligence

Good-looking ‘less able’

PARIS, May 23, (AFP): Scientists on Monday announced the discovery of 52 genes linked to human intelligence, 40 of which have been identified as such for the first time.

The findings also turned up a surprising connection between intelligence and autism that could one day help shed light on the condition’s origins.

Taken together, the new batch of “smart genes” accounted for 20 percent of the discrepencies in IQ test results among tens of thousands of people examined, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Genetics. “For the first time, we were able to detect a substantial amount of genetic effects in IQ,” said Danielle Posthuma, a researcher at the Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research in Amsterdam, and the main architect of the study.

“Our findings provide insight into the biological underpinnings of intelligence,” she told AFP.

Most of the newly discovered gene variants linked to elevated IQ play a role in regulating cell development in the brain, especially neuron differentiation and the formation of neural information gateways called synapses.

An international team of 30 scientists combed through 13 earlier studies in which detailed genetic profiles and intelligence evaluations — based on IQ tests — had been compiled for 78,000 people, all of European descent.

Increasingly powerful computers have made it possible to scan and compare hundreds of thousands of genomes, matching tiny variations in DNA with diseases, body types or, in this case, native smarts.

The human genome has some 25,000 genes composed of more than three billion pairing of buildingblock molecules.

Many of the genetic variations linked with high IQ also correlated with other attributes: more years spent in school, bigger head size in infancy, tallness, and even success in kicking the tobacco habit.

One of the strongest — and most surprising — links was with autism, noted Posthuma. “Gene variants associated with high IQ are also associated with higher risk of autism spectrum disorder,” she said in an interview. One gene in particular — SHANK3 — “is a very good candidate for explaining that,” she added.

Posthuma

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People are more interested in learning about the work of attractive scientists, but they see these good-looking researchers as less able than their average-appearing counterparts, a study suggested Monday.

The report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) highlights the biases that come with judging people on looks, particularly in the field of science, in an era of popular TED talks and increasing online engagement.

“It seems that people use facial appearance as a source of information when selecting and evaluating science news,” said lead author Will Skylark from the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.

“It’s not yet clear how much this shapes the spread and acceptance of scientific ideas among the public, but the rapid growth in visual media means it may be an increasingly important issue.”

For the report, researchers at the University of Cambridge and University of Essex conducted six separate studies to see how scientists’ looks affected public perception of their research.