Who do children inherit intelligence from – their father or their mother? The results of the study

According to the findings of scientists, it is known that the sex of a child is determined by the father, or rather by the type of chromosome he passes on to his child. However, the child inherits intelligence from the mother.

According to research, the genes responsible for the development of intellectual abilities are located in the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, they are more likely to pass these genes on to their offspring than men who have only one, City Magazine writes.

The study was conducted on mice. The results showed that those animals that received an extra dose of the maternal gene developed a larger head and brain, but had a small body.

Conversely, mice with the addition of the paternal genes had smaller brains but larger bodies. This study explains how inherited genetics affects brain development and thus cognitive function.

The researchers identified cells containing only the mother's genes or only the father's genes in six different parts of the mouse brain that control a variety of cognitive functions, from eating habits to memory.

Cells with the father's genes are concentrated in parts of the limbic system, which is involved in functions such as sex, eating, and aggression. However, the researchers did not find paternal cells in the cerebral cortex, where the most advanced cognitive functions such as reasoning, thinking, language, and planning occur.

However, research has also clearly shown that genetics is not the only determinant of intelligence.

Scientists estimate that only 40-60 percent of intelligence is hereditary. The rest depends on the environment in which the child grows up, the child's upbringing, and experience while growing up to shape his or her intelligence.

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