Intelligence is controlled by a network of thousands of genes, with each making just a small contribution to overall intelligence, rather than the handful of powerful genes that scientists once predicted, says Robert Plomin, professor of behavioural genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.

The finding emerged from a study of more than 4000 British children to pinpoint the genes and genetic combinations that influence reasoning skills and general intelligence. The researchers believe their work could eventually lead to genetic tests to predict babies’ academic potential.

In his research, Professor Plomin built up a database on the academic ability of 4000 children, partly from teacher assessments and partly by a battery of cognitive tests. “Out of the gene variants we looked at, a couple of hundred are emerging which seem to have a small but significant relationship with ability in maths and English,” he said.