Actionable IQ polygenic scores arrive

Updated: 2026.10.04 2H ago 1 sources
Genome‑wide association studies now produce polygenic scores that explain a substantial, measurable portion of individual differences in cognitive ability (the review cites GWAS results accounting for roughly 20% of the heritable variance). Those scores are increasingly usable in research linking genetics to schooling, health, and labour outcomes, raising near‑term ethical and policy questions about prediction, sorting and intervention. — If polygenic scores are meaningfully predictive, governments, schools and employers will face practical and ethical choices about use in research, screening, and policy — influencing debates on equity, education and reproductive ethics.

Sources

The new genetics of intelligence - PMC
2026.10.04 100% relevant
Plomin & von Stumm review (Nat Rev Genet 2018) — explicit claim that recent GWAS have identified sequence differences that, when aggregated, account for ~20% of the 50% heritability of intelligence and enable genome‑wide polygenic scores.
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