One Side Has Definitively Won the Missing Heritability Debate
5 days ago
- #genetics
- #heritability
- #nature-vs-nurture
- The missing heritability debate centers on the discrepancy between twin studies (showing 50%+ genetic influence) and molecular studies (finding only ~10-20%).
- A recent study using GREML-WGS analyzed full genomes from 347,630 people, finding that 88% of pedigree-based heritability can be captured, supporting the hereditarian view.
- Nurturists argue that even with rare variants included, overall heritability remains low (e.g., IQ at 41%), suggesting environmental factors dominate.
- Hereditarians counter that IQ test reliability issues and biases may underestimate true heritability, which could be closer to 55%.
- The study’s results vary by trait: height and intelligence support hereditarianism, while educational attainment aligns with nurturist claims.
- Biomedical traits (e.g., white blood cell count) remain puzzling, as they show low heritability despite no obvious environmental or assortative mating explanations.
- The debate remains unresolved, with both sides interpreting the same data differently, and no consensus on why heritability estimates diverge across studies.