The Impact of Genes and Race on Intelligence

Sources:

The problem of missing heritability:

Experiencing racism and increased risk of asthma:

Black adults over twice as likely to get diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, or die from cancer:

Poverty and stress can cause drops of 13 IQ points:

Adoption can increase IQ up to 18 points:

Essays on race and genetics:

Fascinating articles about lead exposure, IQ, educational attainment, and crime rates:

According to Sam Harris in his podcast interview of Charles Murray, “People don’t wanna hear that a person’s intelligence is in large part due to his or her genes and there seems to be very little we can do environmentally to increase a person’s intelligence… ” But both of these claims are overstated, if not blatantly false. In this video we’ll explore why and how IQ differences between races are not necessarily due to genes, and how the environment can alter our intelligence.

Epigenetics is revolutionizing our ideas about nature and nurture. It is no longer viable to think of our genes as being separate from our environments. Genetic expression is, by definition, controlled by where, when, and who we are. Don't fall into the Sam Harris trap of thinking that heritability is dependent solely on genes -- your inheritance comes from many other sources than the genetic blueprint you received from your parents. The metaphor of the genome as a musical score comes to mind: Someone can hand you a piece of sheet music, but the way that you play it will differ drastically depending on what instrument you play, the style you play it in, and a multitude of other factors. Genes are our sheet music, but how we play the notes is not dictated by fate.

Songs:
"Internal Backchat" by Ketsa