Smart Parents Give Birth to Smart Children

A group of researchers from the University of Georgia in the United States claims that heredity plays a vital role in mental abilities. In other words, smart parents give birth to smart kids.

A team of scientists led by William Hopkins evaluated the behavior and intelligence of chimpanzees – the experts watched 99 primates aged 9 to 54. The chimpanzees were offered to perform a number of tasks – for example, to find hidden food using any tool available to solve the problem.

Watching how the animals solved these tasks, the experts took into account their kinship with other chimpanzees. The results showed that genetic factors were truly important for the development of cognitive abilities. In the case of chimpanzees, heredity factor influenced intelligence by 50%.

Now the researchers are planning to identify and describe the genes responsible for intelligence. It is significant that in the early 2014, the chimpanzees who best demonstrated the ability to communicate revealed a specific mutation in the AVPR1A gene, which is also present in humans, and associated with social behavior skills. Talking about human abilities, the researchers believe that a kid’s intellect is 30% dependant on heredity. The intelligence of an adult who is less influenced by the environment is 70% defined by the genes.