Variations in individual “educational attainment” cannot be attributed to inherited genetic differences. That is the finding of a new study reported in Science magazine (Rietveld et al. 2013). According to this research, fully 98% of all the variation is caused by factors other than a person’s simple genetic makeup.
But that statistic did not make the headlines. Instead, the study authors and members of the press focused almost entirely on three gene variants that each contribute just 0.02% to variation in educational attainment.
The science of human biology is in the grip of hidden political forces powerful enough to enable (this and other) comprehensively misrepresented genetic studies to slip through the scientific peer review process, and be published in the foremost journals of science.
Read the full, original story here: Science as Social Control: Political Paralysis and the Genetics Agenda
Additional Resources:
- “GWAS of 126,559 Individuals Identifies Genetic Variants Associated with Educational Attainment,” Science
The report on educational attainment and genetics mentioned in the story above. - “Do Our Genes Influence Behavior? Why We Want to Think They Do,” Chronicle of Higher Education
One journalist’s look at “gee-whiz” media coverage of genetics research and the expansive claims made in popular coverage of behavioral genetics. - “Does success in college involve having the right genes?,” Genetic Literacy Project
See the Genetic Literacy Project’s Rebecca Goldin’s take on the shortcomings of the Science report on educational attainment and genetics.
