intelligence

A new study published in The Economic Journal finds that smarter people really are more likely to help others—and the data behind that conclusion is staggering in scale. Economists Mikael Elinder and Oscar Erixson mined Swedish administrative registers covering roughly 1.2 million men and a...

Neurodivergence—conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—has shaped some of history's most brilliant minds. While many famous scientists, inventors, and philosophers lived before these conditions were...

Association between intelligence quotient and violence perpetration in the English general population A 2019 study published in Psychological Medicine examined the relationship between intelligence and violence perpetration in the general English population. Conducted by Louis Jacob, Josep...

Most of us have an intuitive sense that people differ not just in how "smart" they are overall, but in their specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses — some people are gifted at math, others at language, others at rapid processing. But how much of that profile is inherited? A major 2022...

A summary of Steve Stewart-Williams's recent newsletter post, itself summarising Russell Warne's Quillette article "Education's Elephant in the Room" Most of us want to believe that a good school can level the playing field — that with the right teachers, curriculum, and resources, all...

One thing that distinguishes Muslim societies from non-Muslim ones is the prevalence of cousin marriages. These are especially common in countries that apply the Sharia law or have an Islamist government. Ethnicity also appears to be a factor. Cousin marriage is much more prevalent in North...

It's not news that crows are very intelligent animals. But just how smart they is demonstrated in this video where a crow completes the series of puzzles in an escape game, even outperforming primary school children.

If true, that would be terrible news for the world as a whole. Brain fog, poor memory and lower IQ would significantly affect the economy, reduce scientific research, and more generally cause a diminution of well-being and productivity. It could also lead to the election or worse politicians...

Tests like 23andMe were revolutionary 10 years ago. But their ability to predict risks of developing specific diseases have not always been very accurate, except for carrier status. Things are evolving fast now that millions of individuals have been sequenced specifically to find new genes...

Scanning the brain would be a way to completely eliminate any testing bias, in assessing one's true intelligence. Moreover, it could provide clues as to how we can improve upon intelligence. As well as understanding how to stimulate learning, and improve upon education. Further, it would help us...

Soon brain scans can be used to determine a person's intelligence, rather than an IQ test. The study published on Cell found that connectivity of a person's brain is associated with intelligence. As well as mental disorders, like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Yet curiously, one of the...

Many if not most great geniuses in history are now thought to have had Asperger syndrome or High-functioning Autism. It all started with Norm Ledgin's book Diagnosing Jefferson, in which the author argues that Jefferson's behaviours matches the five diagnostic criteria for Asperger's: social...

Computers will soon be able to simulate the functioning of a human brain. In a near future, artificial superintelligence could become vastly more intellectually capable and versatile than humans. But could machines ever truly experience the whole range of human feelings and emotions, or are...

Individuals with a VS version of the KL gene have in average six IQ points more than other people. This is the conclusion drawn from three independent studies, including a new one conducted by Dena Dubal of the University of California, San Francisco, and Lennart Mucke of the Gladstone...

Here is another of my articles on Life 2.0. Is it possible to build an artificial superintelligence without fully replicating the human brain ?

The idea may have sounded ridiculous to many scientists not so long ago. After all, when are born our brain is supposedly a blank slate. DNA only constitutes the body's building blocks, and the principles of Darwinian evolution states that any new mutation arises fortuitously. In contrast...

Haven't posted as much lately, please excuse my sparse commentary... but I figure it's time to spice things up again. Anyone else notice a connection between world class chess figures and "more primitive" or maybe more masculine facial features? By this I mean a pronounced brow ridge, broader...

A friend recently told me she makes a point of making sure her kids listen to classical music. When I questioned her as to why she thought it was benefical for them she had no real answer. It's commonly held that people who listen to classical music from a young age are some how smarter, so i...