What's the Latest Development?

Those who believe genius is more hereditary than environmental can now point to new research completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis which has identified a specific gene that may help manage our skill level for organizing things logically. "This type of discovery may help explain why early studies in regard to intelligence seem to favor genetics over environment when it comes to IQ. Those studies showed that even though some adoptive children grew up in an environment completely separate from their biological parents, their IQs were more aligned with theirs than that of the adoptive parents."

What's the Big Idea?

Perhaps a greater lesson than believing that genius is determined entirely by the fate of paternal genes is not to give up too early if genius does not emerge early in life. Instead, a phenomenon called the Matthew Effect suggests that if we pursue what little talent we may have been born with, environmental factors may encourage us to, one day, reach genius status. "For example, if a child shows a small amount of athletic promise -- perhaps he or she can kick a ball farther than his or her pals -- that child may start kicking the ball more, hanging out with other kids who can kick a ball and joining a soccer team."

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