Selection for Education in Preindustrial England

Using roughly 600 ancient genomes from England, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands dated 700–1850 CE, the authors compute polygenic scores for educational attainment and report an approximate 0.78 standard‑deviation increase over that interval. They argue this genetic shift supports Gregory Clark’s thesis that differential reproductive success tied to traits correlated with education and economic success produced measurable evolutionary change before the Industrial Revolution. — If true, this reframes debates about the roots of economic development and social inequality by adding a long‑run biological feedback mechanism to explanations that have been framed solely in cultural, legal, or institutional terms.