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Education Science

Scientists Found 74 Genetic Variants Linked To Education Level (theverge.com) 125

Posted by msmash from the we-have-to-go-deeper dept.
An anonymous reader shares a report on The Verge: Scientists have found 74 genetic variants that are associated with educational attainment. In short, that means some people have variants of genes in their DNA that are correlated with completing more schooling. But this finding, published today in Nature, should be taken with a grain of salt. Together, these variants explain less than half a percent of the differences in educational attainment seen in the population studied -- far less than the impact that a person's wealth and environment can have on the time they spend in school. The strongest association found for a single genetic variant explained only 0.035 of one percent of the variation in educational attainment. "Put another way, the difference between people with zero and two copies of this genetic variant predicts, on average, about nine extra weeks of schooling," says Dan Benjamin, a behavioral economist at the University of Southern California who worked on the study. These variants don't mean much when it comes to people's schooling, and factors like poverty, geography, and nutrition probably have a much bigger combined impact. The Guardian's take is worth a read as well.
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Scientists Found 74 Genetic Variants Linked To Education Level More

Scientists Found 74 Genetic Variants Linked To Education Level

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  • Intelligence is genetic and heritable, news at 11 (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @02:57PM (#52093463)
    Lets cut through all this BS and finally admit that intelligence is genetic and heritable.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I guess this is a good argument for waiting until your education is done and your career is set [youtube.com] before having children?

    • Re:Intelligence is genetic and heritable, news at (Score:5, Insightful)

      by AthanasiusKircher ( 1333179 ) on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @03:18PM (#52093617)

      Lets cut through all this BS and finally admit that intelligence is genetic and heritable.

      I can't tell whether you're trying to be funny or not. TFA suggests the opposite conclusion to what you suggest, even in its title: "Scientists found 74 genetic variants linked to education level -- but their impact is miniscule" with the subheading "Looking for genetic effects 'seems pointless' ".

      As TFS says, the total effect of all the genetic variants they found explains less than 0.5% of the total variance for educational attainment. And from the actual Nature study conclusion:

      Studies of genetic analyses of behavioural phenotypes have been prone to misinterpretation, such as characterizing identified associated variants as 'genes for education'. Such characterization is not correct for many reasons: educational attainment is primarily determined by environmental factors, the explanatory power of the individual SNPs is small, the candidate genes may not be causal, and the genetic associations with educational attainment are mediated by multiple intermediate phenotypes

      Bottom line -- this study is pointing out a TINY factor that is genetic, and subject to all sorts of environmental influences.

      • Re:Intelligence is genetic and heritable, news at (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @03:46PM (#52093833)

        Educational level != intelligence

        • Educational level != intelligence

          Yes, you're absolutely correct, in which case the post I was responding to was off-topic and completely irrelevant... since this whole discussion is about a study concerning educational attainment and genetics.

          Oh, but wait, the study actually addresses this and notes the correlation between educational attainment and "cognitive performance" (which would probably come closest in their various considerations to "intelligence"). Not surprisingly, there is in fact a correlation between educational attainment

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Intelligence is most certainly genetic. Dogs are not as smart as humans due to genetics. Variation among a given species is trickier, but there are genetic defects that lead to mentally deficiency, so obviously there is a genetic component to that.

      • Couldn't it also be that those traits are linked to certain racial groups? Those of European descent for example might be more likely to stay in school longer and share certain genetic markers but that tendency could be completely cultural rather than linked to intelligence.
        • This was my thought. I grew up in a mostly immigrant neighborhood of at least five distinct native countries (and associated cultures) and the weighting that different families placed on education fell in line with stereotypes. I saw it all first hand growing up. Also reinforced from living in other countries. Kinda. Foreigners seem to value education a lot more, no matter where they are from, than average Americans. Ie, the longer a family is in the US (generationally), the less they stress education. I wa

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by quenda ( 644621 )

          Couldn't it also be that those traits are linked to certain racial groups? Those of European descent for example might be more likely...

          That is so obvious, that I'm amazed the researchers did not think of it. Oh wait ...

          TFA:

          To study how this is linked to genetics, the team looked at the genomes of nearly 300,000 individuals of white, European descent ...

      • Just to be clear to all the idiots who have already replied to me pointing out that intelligence IS known to have genetic factors AND intelligence !=educational attainment, I KNOW THIS ALREADY.

        I was responding to a post that implied TFA was just a "news at 11" meaningless study adding to the fact that intelligence is genetic. That isn't what the study concludes at all -- it doesn't conclude much about intelligence directly at all, and what it does conclude is that educational attainment (which is known t

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        My reading also. And it is about "schooling" anyways, not about intelligence. That strikes me more as skill in memorization and tolerating stupid teachers.

    • Lets cut through all this BS and finally admit that intelligence is genetic and heritable.

      Actually, this doesn't prove that at all. This study correlates education to genetics, not intelligence. Having worked with plenty of idiot PhDs and a few brilliant people out of trade schools, I can tell you the two aren't necessarily the same thing.

      Obtaining certain levels of education require specific skills (e.g. manipulating p-values [fivethirtyeight.com], and writing reports). Those skills are only one kind of intelligence.

      Furthermore, obtaining education requires means and desire.

      You may be right, and intelligenc

    • Any way you define intelligence is either overly broad or overly exclusionary to the level that the concept of intelligence itself is BS.

    • Perhaps, but I'm not convinced work ethic, creativity, and ambition are.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by swb ( 14022 )

        I would be inclined to believe those traits have a genetic component to them as well and may have more influence of perceived levels of intelligence and educational attainment than any one genetic component influencing actual cognition.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jedidiah ( 1196 )

          Some people of a particular genetic background flourish while others whine and play the victim card. At some point, you have to wonder if there is some genetic component and some people are just damaged by centuries of abuse coming from others as well as themselves.

    • Were this correlated only to the hard sciences I'd assume that to be the case. In this study, it might only correlate to how docile and malleable someone is. It isn't like it is a challenge to get a masters these days in a crap field. It is simply what is expected of you today.
    • I don't necessarily agree. There are plenty of things like abuse that demonstratively stunt intelligence.. IMHO this is actually a survival advantage. A person with lower intelligence is probably less likely to go crazy under severely deprived environment. Add in a dash of epigenetics and you can see how this would persist over a few generations.

    • Nature vs. Nurture.
      Nurture matters, but we don't teach dogs at public school, no matter what kind of family they were raised with.

    • IMO most people don't dispute that. Including those in the field. About 45% of a child's IQ can be explained by genetics, and that figure rises to 75% by adulthood. Meaning you can influence a child's IQ up or down by tweaking his or her environment, but the effect is only temporary.

      See wiki [wikipedia.org]:

      The general figure for the heritability of IQ, according to an authoritative American Psychological Association report, is 0.45 for children, and rises to around 0.75 for late teens and adults.[5][6] The heritabili

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quenda ( 644621 )

        About 45% of a child's IQ can be explained by genetics,

        That makes no sense. I think what you are trying to say (or missing) is that 45% of the variation within a particular group is hereditary.
        The actual number depends on which group you are looking at.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ndykman ( 659315 )

      Sure, as soon as we get a peer reviewed set of studies that make that conclusion. By the way, this study doesn't do that at all. "Every genetic factor we found is so small that known environmental factors like socioeconomic status on the same measures would completely overwhelm the genetic variation, making any actual genetic contribution almost unnoticeable" isn't "people are just born smarter"

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      They say it correlates to more "schooling". That is not intelligence. And it is less then 0.5 percent, so if anything, it proves the opposite of what you say. I would insult your heritage, but according to this research your stupidity seems to be almost all your own, maybe except that 0.5%.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by TheLink ( 130905 )

      Intelligence is definitely genetic and heritable, but many of those genes might not solely be for raw intelligence.

      After all to do OK in many education systems (e.g. complete the course) you often have to be able to sit down for hours without causing problems for yourself or to others around you. And you often have to be able to handle authority well even if that authority is wrong ;). You might also have to be able to handle "traditional teaching" methods - e.g. learn from someone who drones on for most of

    • Maybe, if you can cite reliable studies. Might also help if you could define "intelligence".

      Hint, this one has nothing to do with intelligence.

    • How can you draw that conclusion. They only found a correlation and a weak one. This can also be used as a counter argument to intelligence is inherited. John Oliver has very good video on the subject. Watch it.

  • Racists! (Score:4, Funny)

    by frovingslosh ( 582462 ) on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @02:59PM (#52093479)
    How dare they suggest that their might be differences in people that correlates with their educational ability? Next thing you know they will find that is different geographically separated groups these mutations occur in different numbers. I don't care if it is true or not, we must preserve the accepted belief that all races are equally capable, no matter what science or history has shown us.
    • I'm not sure where you're seeing this outrage from, or where you're assuming that genetics is that important. TFS (you didn't even have to click through to TFA) repeatedly states that these genetic factors are minor, especially when compared to environmental factors, or

      "about nine extra weeks of schooling"

      . But don't let that stop you from your passive aggressive racism there.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by pla ( 258480 )
        ...For one of the identified variants.

        9 weeks times 74 variants gives an upper bound of 12.8 years' difference.

        Of course, TFA goes to a paywall, so no raw-data love for us.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quenda ( 644621 )

        repeatedly states that these genetic factors are minor, especially when compared to environmental factors,

        TFA also states that the study was based solely on "individuals of white, European descent" so as to eliminate racial factors.
        And while the effect of the *identified* genes is minor, it does not imply that the overall genetic effect is minor.

    • I don't care if it is true or not, we must preserve the accepted belief that all races are equally capable, no matter what science or history has shown us.

      Clearly, you have the "dumbfuck can't read" gene.

      Scientists have found 74 genetic variants that are associated with educational attainment. In short, that means some people have variants of genes in their DNA that are correlated with completing more schooling. But this finding, published today in Nature, should be taken with a grain of salt. Together, the

  • ....as your family and your neighborhood.

  • We demand gene-equality! (Score:3, Funny)

    by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @03:10PM (#52093555) Homepage Journal

    74 genetic variants that are associated with educational attainment

    This is yet another manifestation of how the strong, healthy, smart, and the goodlooking have unfair advantage in life. So, just because their daddy and mommy had better genes, they are better humans now? No!!

    It is long overdue for awareness to be raised of this grotesque and self-perpetuating injustice. To achieve the level playing field the overly smart need to be lobotomised, the strong — crippled, and the beautiful — disfigured.

    • To achieve the level playing field the overly smart need to be lobotomised, the strong — crippled, and the beautiful — disfigured.

      Would you like to be the first Handicapper General of the United States?

      Harrison Bergeron [wikipedia.org]

      • Harrison Bergeron

        We regret to inform you, that Slaughterhouse-Five [wikipedia.org] is the only book by Vonnegut, that is sufficiently anti-American to be approved for American readership.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tepples ( 727027 )

          Mr. Vonnegut says you can kiss Breakfast of Champions' asshole [scienceleadership.org]. (SFW)

        • And he wrote it after going through the firebombing of Dresden, the single most agressive act of deliberate violence on innocent civilians EVER! Hiroshima and Negasaki pale in comparison to the shit they dropped on Dresden.

          • firebombing of Dresden, the single most agressive act of deliberate violence on innocent civilians EVER

            Was it? Let's see, Dresden bombing [wikipedia.org] — 25 thousand people (not all of them civilians). Compared to the multitude of genocide-attempts of the 20th century, that's literally a drop in a bucket...

            For just one example, the executions of rounded-up civilian Jews in Babiy Yar [wikipedia.org]: 33 thousand in two days (Dresden bombing took 4 raids spread out over 3 days)... Bleiburg [wikipedia.org] is a different kind of atrocity — by

  • I don't buy this completely. Because this question doesn't take into account other factors, Diet and environment being one such factor. I know where this is going. I don't like the path its leading us down. There is only one Terran race.

    However beliefs and behaviours are not equal. Especially on an individual level, individual people engage in activity that is damaging to both that individual, and groups as a whole. (drinking alcohol while pregnant, smoking while pregnant, etc.)

    Other times there are externa

    • Do you think it's possible that groups of people separated by a thousand generations facing different evolutionary pressures could have developed traits genes to help them survive in their particular environmental niche better? Many animals and plants have been very significantly altered from their original breeding stock in far fewer than a thousand generations (15,000 people years). Some breeds of dogs can can outrun others by 60km/h inherently. Some breeds dogs are much smarter than others, they are all

  • Wait, isn't this exactly what Herrnstein and Murray concluded back in 1994, shortly before they were publicly executed by savage academics who proudly signaled their virtue by proclaiming that they hadn't and never would read the book because they already "knew" it was wrong?

    • Wait, isn't this exactly what Herrnstein and Murray concluded back in 1994

      No. To use a car analogy, which /. loves so much:

      Bell Curve: Your car crashed because your left front tire was 2psi low. The car suffered $30,000 in damage.
      This Study: Your car crashed because you were drunk, your steering wheel fell off, you were rear-ended by a semi, and your tire was 2psi low. Had your tire not been low, the damage to your car would have been $29,850.

  • How easy can you be indoctrinated? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    These genes will show you just how easy it is for you to be indoctrinated. The more genes you have, the more likely you'll get indoctrinated like a good little slave.

    • The more genes you have, the more likely you'll get indoctrinated like a good little slave.

      Actually, if this were a generation ago: "The more jeans you have, the more likely you'll get indoctrinated like a good little slave."

      Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.

      [Explanation, for those not old enough: Denim used to be the marker of uneducated laborers and field workers. My grandfather was a union blue-collar guy who worked on machines every day, but he wore dark pants (not jeans) and a button-down shirt -- pressed and starched by my grandmother -- to work every day. As a person in the skilled trad

  • Extra schooling? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by AnotherBlackHat ( 265897 ) on Wednesday May 11, 2016 @05:21PM (#52094427) Homepage

    ... about nine extra weeks of schooling ...

    When I was in school, there were "fast learners" and "slow learners", yet we all graduated on the same day.

  • A metric that is objectively quantifiable -- unlike "Intelligence", "Smarts", and "Common Sense"

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Gives you hard numbers that are not very meaningful. Objective metric are pretty worthless if they do not measure something of high significance. Incidentally, the IQ is by its very definition an objective metric. It just suffers from the same problem, namely that it does not measure quite the right thing.

  • "...should be taken with a grain of salt..." ...Unless you have one of the 17 genes linked with high blood pressure, in which case you should use a salt substitute, like potassium chloride, instead.

  • Your genes come from your parents and those same genes influence how good a home environment they are able provide for you. Compounding interest rates can be small and still cause a balance to grow significantly over over time, the same goes for the effects of genes over multiple generations. i.e. Arguments that simply contrast genetics with environment are foolish because they are often intertwined with an accumulating, multi-generational, impact.

  • "You are a product of your environment." --Clement Stone

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