Genes influence academic ability across all subjects, latest study shows

[Demeter]

You may feel you are just not a maths person, or that you have a special gift for languages, but scientists have shown that the genes influencing numerical skills are the same ones that determine abilities in reading, arts and humanities. The study suggests that if you have an academic Achilles heel, environmental factors such as a teaching are more likely to be to blame. The findings add to growing evidence that school performance has a large heritable component, with around 60% of the differences in pupil’s GCSE results being explained by genetic factors.

Although scientists are yet to pinpoint specific genes, the latest work, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests that the same ones are involved across subjects.

Robert Plomin, a professor of genetics at King’s College London and the study’s senior author, said: “We found that academic achievement in English, mathematics, science, humanities, second languages and art were all affected by the same genes. People may think that they’re good at one subject and bad at another, but in reality most people are strikingly consistent.”

In the future, if specific genes were identified, nursery children could be screened to help target those who are likely to require more help learning basic skills such as reading and arithmetic, Plomin added. The researchers analysed genetic data and GCSE scores from 12,500 twins, about half of whom were identical. Results in all subjects, including maths, science, art and humanities, were highly heritable, with genes explaining a bigger proportion of the differences between children (54-65%) than environmental factors, such as school and family combined (14-21%), which were shared by the twins.

MORE AT: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/23/genes-influence-academic-ability-across-all-subjects-latest-study-shows

[3catwoman3]

1. I thought I totally sucked at algebra. Just didn't "get it"...

...during my freshman year of high school. After her second year of teaching there, that teacher was fired, because it turned out a whole lot of students hadn't "gotten it" either.

I am one of those atypical people who likes biology and language arts.

[Nitram]

2. Catwoman, I'm one of those, too.

Took advantage of a good liberal arts curriculum to supplement my biology courses with lots of literature and philosophy.

[daybranch]

3. I thought I was weird

as I scored very high on IQ tests and very high on every subject in school, math, science, english, reading, history. On preference tests I also showed that I liked every thing which led some teachers to say I was either lying or crazy. Later on I worked almost thirty years in a job which I succeeded by learning much about a great varieties of subjects.
My expectation and those of my teachers was that I would do well on every subject. Today I observe my daughter and my nephew succeeding in math, engineering , and accounting, subjects they earlier stated they could not handle due to their limited math abilities. Both of these young people early on displayed great abilities in reading, english, grammar, and foreign language earlier.
So this finding is no surprise.