Education
Education

A DNA test for college?

ajc.com
By Ty Tagami
July 25, 2018

DNA can help predict who will graduate from college, a new study says.

The new research published in Nature Genetics Monday looked at 1.1 million people and found genetic correlations with educational attainment.

New techniques are allowing researchers to tie tiny DNA differences to physical characteristics, such as height. Now, those tools, which allow researchers to study bigger groups, can also give insights into behavior, though a lead author of the study told the MIT Technology Review that the results are too unreliable to accurately predict individual outcomes.

The genetic differences explained just 11-13 percent of the variance in educational attainment, ensuring that the “nature-nurture” debate will not end anytime soon.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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