RACE and IQ RELATED GENES

by Sean Last

Summary: Over the past 5 years, a variety of specific genes have been shown to influence IQ. Versions of these genes which lead to higher intelligence are consistently found to be more common in Whites than in Blacks. The difference between Asians and Whites is less clear. The consistency of these findings, which have been replicated across two genetic databases, makes an egalitarian view of racial intelligence differences implausible. This research also suggests that selection, instead of genetic drift, causes racial intelligence differences because IQ-related genes are more racially differentiated than most genes are. In fact, they are more racially differentiated than height related genes are, suggesting that selection for racial intelligence differences was stronger than selection for racial height differences.