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Intellect, as stated by the Oxford dictionary, is a noun that describes the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively. This cognitive ability which is our intellect defines who we are and in most cases dominates our life in one way or another. What makes us different in our intellectual abilities: are we limited only by our determination or are our fates predetermined by our genetic makeup?
This debate has been fuelled for many years by great academic heavyweights arguing both corners. Nature has given us examples of acquired intellect in the form of Rudiger Gamm a 38 year old who has earned his reputation as a “human calculator” by demonstrating his astonishing skill of multiplying eight digit numbers, calculating ninth powers and fifth roots amongst other mind boggling feats. The extraordinary thing about Gamm is that before the age of 20, he had no particular interest and more importantly no talent in maths. It was only in his early 20s that he started developing a passion for maths, in particular, algorithms which he practised for fun, sometimes for more than four hours a day. A study of orchestral musicians found that what distinguished the top performers from the rest was not higher IQ but greater time commitment. Studies such as these and people such as Gamm support the opinion that given enough time, efficient learning as well as enthusiasm, anyone can attain mastery in a given field.
In contrast, we have seen natural ability in children like Michael Hebelka, who at 9 years of age baffled everyone when he taught himself a programming language which is used by software developers to create computer games. Familial studies that have been carried using identical twins reveal that even those raised in separate environments have an IQ correlation factor of 0.76 showing very similar intellectual abilities. This correlation factor diverges to 0.15 when you consider cousins raised in separate environments. Such studies show that factors contributing to intelligence are more heritable than environmental.
The genes for intelligence have not been identified or isolated. However, DNA microarray analysis of genomes reveals intelligence to be a complex trait, with possibly hundreds of genes being involved, and dependent on a wide variety of unique DNA sequences that are scattered throughout the genome.
Intelligence has historically been conceptualized as a more or less fixed trait and whether or not genes play a part in establishing our aptitude for a certain task, mastery does not come without training and practice. It is clear that some are gifted with a natural innate ability but there is a constant and seamless interaction between genetics and the environment. However, sustained effort and enthusiasm in any discipline will triumph over all genetic and environmental factors and lead you to success. In the end, you should let yourself be driven by your passion.
