One specific poster did catch my eye, both because of the nice color scheme as well as the amount of graphs and pictures they possessed. This was their title: “Smart Genes: Inherited Intelligence.” The authors were focusing on the extent to which intelligence was inherited. I was already interested in the topic of intelligence and differences in IQ tests and the explanations behind it. In psych class, we talked about the significance of an IQ test result and what that means to an individual. So I stood there and struck a conversation with the creators of this poster.
It was really fascinating because they discussed several proteins that played a role in determining intelligence. Although I did not get a chance to ask them how specifically they obtained their data, I saw that they determined that 20-40% of a person’s genome that correspond to intelligence is passed on into their child. Then, we both discussed the impact it has on the debate of nature vs. nurture. Many are under the misconception that intelligence has to do solely with how a person is brought up, or “nurture.” However, it is not entirely true. Since intelligence can be inherited, there is an extent to which “nature” plays a role. We also then discussed if there was any possible way that the child can inherit more of the genome coding for intelligence factors, in order to increase intelligence. It is possible today or in the near future, however, there are a multitude of risks as well as ethical dilemmas that come with it. I just thought it was different to think about intelligence in the sense that it is from your parents. So, I guess there’s more to thank them for.
I actually found your post to be quite interesting because it relates to a short New York Times science article I read recently. Basically, the article mentioned that some research is being done to see how external factors can effect which genes are most strongly passed down to offspring. In the case of this poster, I think it may be possible (based on the article) that the intelligence gene can be more strongly activated in the offspring if the male parent is involved in activities which require a lot of brain power just around the time of conception. So as you pointed out it seems that a large aspect of the intelligence gene does in fact come from our parents.
This is the article I was referring to if anyone is interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/science/parents-may-pass-down-more-than-just-genes-study-suggests.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=24&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
This is very interesting and very scary. I’m glad you raised the topic of ethics, which is something we didn’t discuss much this semester. The idea of “designing” babies is a very real possibility, and you can imagine the consequences of this. The thought of an engineered human is a little scary. Anyone else think so?
Wow, I really enjoyed this post. Funny enough I was just having this conversation with someone not too long ago. We were wondering if IQ had anything to do with the individual innately or was it something that it was acquired. Something I find really interesting are those cases where someones parents might not have gotten the best education but yet their children end up being very intelligent. It kind of makes you wonder the possibilities for them and how much of their genetic intelligence was passed down. And Professor Branco, I agree completely! This idea of genetically making children seems to be a scary place to be for humans. Being a philosophy major I’m gonna have to keep an eye out for this topic, it extends to ethical issues as well as issues concerning what it means to be a person. Anyway, great post and interesting read!