Apparently, dear ladies and gentlemen, intelligence genes are passed on from parent to offspring through the X chromosome, after all, meaning that intelligence is hereditary, and children’s intelligence is related to the genes of the mother.
This is all a result of the positioning of the intelligence genes, and as explained by the Professor Gillian Turner,
‘Lehrke was the first to suggest that the genes for coding intellectual function might be on the X chromosome.’
Scientists have researched the link between the X chromosome and intelligence for years.
In 1884, researchers from Cambridge University conducted an experiment on mice in order to find the importance of the mother’s X chromosome on intelligence. Yet, they found no lasting results that indicated that these genes are located in the brain areas related to intelligence.
However, this stimulated even more research. A study conducted at Delgado, The University of Ulm in Germany;
’studied the genes involved in brain damage and found that many of them, especially those that are related to cognitive abilities, were on the X chromosome.’
This revolutionary discovery provided evidence that there is a direct link between intelligence and the mother’s genes.
Scientists at The Medical Research Council in Scotland after an experiment on 12, 686 young children, aged 14-22 years old, also found out that the best predictor of intelligence was the IQ of the mother.
Nevertheless, despite the role of genetics, we cannot neglect the influence of the environmental factors on our IQ. This is the subject of the nature(genes) vs nurture(environmental factors) debate which dates back to the 17th-century! Yet, it is a fact that intelligent and well-rounded adults need both, healthy genes and proper nurturing.
According to the Genetic Home Reference,
‘A person’s environment and genes influence each other, and it can be challenging to tease apart the effects of the environment from those of genetic.’
Therefore, we believe nature and nurture are both important, but which one is more important?
Researchers experiment with twins, adopted, and similarly situated children, and proved that nurturing is vital for a high IQ, regardless of the genes.
Deary reveals revolutionary studies which show the influence of social status on the IQ;
‘There is a positive association between intelligence test scores in childhood and social position later in life’.
Yet, there is not a clear answer to this debate, so we can just conclude that both affect our IQ.
Therefore, take some time and thank your mother for your brains!