Kids inherit intelligence from their mothers and their dad’s genes make no difference, according to science.
Scientists have long known that intelligence genes are carried on the X chromosome – of which women have two – whereas men have just one. That means a mother is more likely to transmit intellect.
So, good news for those of you with clever-cloggs mothers and dads with an IQ deficit, reports the Independent.
Researchers in Glasgow interviewed nearly thirteen thousand 14 to 22-year-old participants annually from 1994 and found that the best predictor of intelligence was the IQ of the mother.
But here’s where things get a little complex. The evidence has been corroborated in mice studies, which investigated a type of ‘conditioned’ gene that is only activated if they come from the mother or the father.
Cleverness is believed to be one of these conditioned genes that is exclusively influenced by the mother.
Researchers found that genetically modified mice with more maternal genes developed bigger brains and smaller bodies, but the modified mice with more paternal genes developed smaller brains and bigger bodies.
Furthermore, exclusively female cells were found in the cerebral cortex – which controls the most advanced cognitive reasoning, such as language and planning.
Comparatively, no female cells – only male – were found in the lymbic system which controls sex functions, as well as food and aggression.
While this research may compound the importance of specific hereditary traits in mothers and fathers, the influence of nurture rather than nature is still significant.
So, if you think you’re not the smartest cookie in class, don’t blame it on your dad’s genes.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.