Premature Births May Seed Genius

Edward Dutton argues that prematurity and low birth weight, while typically linked to impairments, can sometimes rewire brain development to yield traits associated with genius—obsession, lower empathy, ADHD/autism-linked focus—enabling paradigm-shifting work. Historical cases like Isaac Newton (reportedly extremely premature) are presented as illustrative, suggesting developmental frailty can occasionally produce extraordinary originality. The claim is a hypothesis that invites empirical testing rather than a settled fact. — This reframes neurodiversity and perinatal risk debates by positing a trade-off model where rare benefits may coexist with common harms, potentially influencing research priorities and how institutions support atypical minds.