Does intelligence come solely from the mother? Data show it comes from the father
The answer is NO. Intelligence solely inherited from the mom is unproven. The “new research” went viral in 2016 when George Takei posted a blog on his Facebook page claiming “intelligence comes from moms.” Takei’s website, SecondNexus, known for its left-liberal bias, cited an unintelligible source.
Forbes magazine exposed the fake news four years ago, but the story keeps on giving
Forbes’ Emily Willingham exposed the disreputable source of the story. She said Second Nexus’ resource was a “woefully unintelligible” post from Psychology Spot. It cited a study in 1994 labeled as “new research” in 2016.
The main source was a woefully unintelligible post
Psychology Spot’s unintelligible blog taken seriously by reputable news outlets
There are no documents to support the supposed “new research.” The source link dead. Unfortunately, websites grabbed the story and reposted it.
- In 2019, reputable website Independent UK published the same storyline and used ‘Psychology Spot‘ as the scientific source, without validation.
- In 2020, ‘Times of India’ rehashed the story with the title “PROVEN! Kids inherit smartness from moms and not dads.” Their proof? Yup, you guessed it, “Psychology Spot.”
- Other sources that perpetuated the “fake news” were Cosmopolitan/Good Housekeeping and other bloggers citing the same problematic data. These sites are ranking well in Google’s algorithm.
“X Doesn’t mark the spot”
Some website attempted to sound sophisticated by saying science has traced “intelligence genes” to the X chromosome. The problem, X Doesn’t Mark the Spot, KQED reports.
Recent studies have not located any genes which by themselves have a significant effect on intelligence. The point is, the assumption on the X chromosomes is unfounded.
the assumption on the X chromosomes is unfounded.
Scientific data indicate intelligence comes from the dad
The chances of “intelligence” coming from the father, or both parents, has scientific leverage. The assumption “intelligence” comes only from the mothers is a myth that neo-feminists would want to perpetuate.
- Around 20% of the genes scientists currently associate with mental retardation are located on the X chromosome. [NCBI]
- Mental retardation, such as autism, is associated with “GENIUS” or too much intelligence.” [ABA]
- There is strong evidence autism (linked to being genius) is inherited from the father. [AAAS]
- Generally, males exhibit GREATER variability in intelligence than women. Scientists view this as the signature of the gene that would exist only on an X chromosome (likely the dad’s X chromosomes). [Royal Society]
- To say the “intelligent X” comes from the mother because they have two chromosomes negates males exhibiting greater variability. Fathers have X chromosomes too.
- Possibly thousands spread across our DNA and bequeathed to us by both father and mother contributes to I.Q.
SOURCES: Genome-wide analysis; GWAS Plus; Genetic Contribution; Royal Society; Applied Behavior Analysis; Science Magazine.
Intelligence coming from father, or both parents, has scientific leverage.
