2026-08-0113brief

Study estimates selection against education-associated polygenic scores

Modern life changed natural selection; it did not end it.

A study of three generations of Americans found natural selection favoring polygenic scores associated with less education while selecting against scores associated with greater educational attainment. The researchers estimate selection is reducing genetically associated cognitive performance by roughly 0.6 IQ points per generation, although environmental gains can outweigh that small shift.