Friday, 17 October 2014

Special offer to readers


Here is a little item I thought you might enjoy for the weekend. Three researchers want bright people to contribute raw genetic data for a study on high intelligence, by which they mean IQ at least 2.5 SDs above average. By my, admittedly shaky,  calculations that means an IQ of 138 and higher. As a general guide, in 1000 Europeans only 6 will be as bright. If we can spread the net to 100,000 Europeans we can expect 565. These numbers will be higher or lower according to ancestry, but intellect of that stature is uncommon. Naturally, the authors regard the readers of this blog as a likely source of suitable candidates, and in this assumption they show great perspicacity. All you have to do is send in your IQ results and your results from the 23andMe test to Davide Piffer. Please give them a hand, including doing some recruiting for them.

For your guidance, I will not be participating. Sunday papers, a little gardening and other important weekend matters preclude my attendance. However, I know that you will be stepping into the breach.

This research is conducted by Davide Piffer (Italy), Emil Kirkegaard (Denmark) and Bertram Gilfoyle (Norway).

We seek to identify genes that have an effect on general intelligence in humans. For that reason we need raw genome data from high IQ individuals.

The preliminary phase of our project (analyzing genomes from two scientists) has produced brilliant results and for this reason we want to follow up with genomes from more high IQ individuals.

Many people have already taken the 23andMe test, which enables its users to download raw data file. We’re looking for genomes from individuals whose IQ is at least 2.5 SDs above average.

The results of this study will be published on a pre-print, open access server (e.g. biorXiv, PeerJ) and will be available to everybody, in the true spirit of free science and scientific inquiry. Subsequently we may decide to follow up with a submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal (e.g. PlosOne, Nature, etc.). Names of participants will not be disclosed (unless expressely requested by you or any other potential participant).

Genome files will be anonymous (a random code will be assigned) and will not be published. Please send genome raw data file (.zip) along with IQ score to: pifferdavide@gmail.com

Ancestry information (e.g. nationality and ethnicity) is needed (e.g. White American; Italian; German, etc.) to correctly match genomes to their reference population.If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at the above email address. For the financial support of this study, a crowd-funding campaign is launched.

Best Regards,

Davide Piffer (Italy)
Emil Kirkegaard (Denmark)
Bertram Gilfoyle (Norway)

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12 comments:

  1. Anonymous17 October 2014 at 17:57

    thank you for posting this - i just emailed them the goods:)

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  2. Unknown17 October 2014 at 18:24

    Glad to hear it. I assume you admitted you had insider knowledge of most intelligence tests, but that should show up in your epi-genetics, shouldn't it?

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    1. Anonymous18 October 2014 at 14:40

      yep, i had to send them some old data - but my genome is even older:)

      Delete
  3. pyrrhus17 October 2014 at 18:57

    For those of us who haven't taken IQ tests since grade school, do they want SAT scores or the like?

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  4. pyrrhus17 October 2014 at 18:58

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Unknown17 October 2014 at 19:59

      Better send them your two questions, and get their detailed responses.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous19 October 2014 at 03:53

    I'm already in that fraudulent BGI study, but...

    Either these guys are morons or they've specified uni and other school entrance exams.

    An adult test score and 23andme is no one basically.

    And entrance exams are, IN FACT, much better IQ tests than self-described IQ tests, because so many more people take them.

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    1. Anonymous19 October 2014 at 03:54

      But in the United Kingdom of Shit an average would be required of A-levels or GCSEs as there is no one entrance exam.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous19 October 2014 at 21:59

    It's 40 years since I've taken a Mensa test paper - twas around 140 but I never paid for the real Mensa exam. Are there any remotely reliable online tests these days ?

    (Have they asked Steve Hsu ? I can't even comprehend half of what he posts, so those commenters who can must be pretty bright)

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    1. Unknown19 October 2014 at 22:22

      I think that the authors are the best ones to approach on this matter, because they will be making the inclusion decisions.

      Delete
  7. Dennis Mangan19 October 2014 at 23:55

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Anonymous17 December 2015 at 15:43

    i agree http://www.facebook.com/argosspecialoffers

    ReplyDelete

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