Scientists discover that genetics affects education outcomes

Schoolchildren in France.
(Image credit: MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)

A new study has discovered more than 1,000 genetic variations that could predict educational outcomes, The Atlantic reported Monday, to nearly the same degree as household income or parental education.

A years-long study, published by the journal Nature Genetics, analyzed the genes of about 1.1 million individuals, and found 1,271 education-associated genetic variants. While the study isn't as simple as locating "education genes" that can reliably predict how people will perform in the education system, the variants can, as a whole, explain 11 percent of the population's variation in years of schooling.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.