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From: werner@aecom.yu.edu (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.med,sci.psychology
Subject: Re: Is intelligence linked to sex genes at all?
Message-ID: <2953@aecom.yu.edu>
Date: 7 Aug 90 03:19:36 GMT
References: <1990Jul29.050038.24791@wolves.uucp> <32214@cup.portal.com> <1990Aug6.202506.4159@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
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Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
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In article <1990Aug6.202506.4159@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, btbg1194@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Bradley T Banko) writes:
> Work on this question must be fairly common knowledge to some people in
> genetics.  Is intelligence linked to the sex genes at all?  In other words,
> is an intelligent mother more likely to have an intelligent daughter than

	First of all, remember that a mother randomly donates one of her
two X chromosomes to her progeny.  So if there is an X-linked gene
related to intelligence (and in a matter of speaking, there is, there are
several X-linkied disease that have as one symptom quite drastically
reduced intelligence, but that of course is not the same thing) there is
a 50% of a daughter getting it, and a 50% chance of a son getting it.
You're not going to any boy-girl differences on the the segregation ratio
from mother to children.
	As for the larger question.  It is hard enough to get some people
to admit that there is any genetic component to intelligence at all, much
less any effort to pin down certain genes.  This argument is of course,
ideological rubbish.  Any gene that is involved in brain function is
potentially capable of affecting intelligence.  There are dozens of
these, and it is essentially impossible to pin down traits that can be
attributable to three genes (two is difficult, but sometimes possible),
so 10, 20, or 50 is essentially beyond the realm of observational
genetics.
-- 
	        Craig Werner   (future MD/PhD, 5.5 years down, 2.5 to go)
	     werner@aecom.YU.EDU -- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
              (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517)
                          "I just won't sleep, that's all."