New research shows that half of human intelligence can be attributed to genes. A forthcoming issue of Molecular Psychiatry also showed that a multitude of genes, rather than a single gene, contributes to people's thinking skills, according to HealthDay.
For the last century, the majority of studies on the heritability of I.Q. have concluded that genes account for more like 75 percent of intelligence.
Authors of the study analyzed over 3,500 unrelated adults by scanning data on the portion of their DNA that accounts for the greatest genetic variability. Knowledge and problem-solving skills were tested and researchers found that 40 to 50 percent in the variation came from genetic differences.
This brings to light just how influential education and environmental factors are in shaping the rest of human intelligence.
The 50 percent figure, however, is "likely to be an underestimate because we could only detect variation that is correlated with common DNA markers," researcher Peter Visscher told HealthDay.
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