The first genetic marker has been found for a gene that has a weak but
statistically real effect on IQ. Robert Plomin of the London Institute Of
Psychiatry reported the results of his 5 year study in the May 1998 issue of
the journal "Psychological Science". Plomin studied the genes of 204 children,
none were retarded and 51 of the kids had an IQ of 160 or higher. He found
there was a relationship between high IQ and a marker on chromosome 6 called
IGF2R. Plomin said that there must be a gene very close to this marker on
the DNA and it would account for 2% of the variation in IQ found in the
population. Having this gene would be worth about 4 IQ points to you.
Plomin noted the extremely rapid rate new genes are being discovered and
expressed confidence that more discoveries of this sort that deal with
complex traits will be made in the near future.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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