Is Chimp IQ similar to human IQ? First steps show it is heritable.
Intelligence features in this month’s National Geographic
The data are from one of the first heritability studies of IQ in chimpanzees. Chimps have a “g” factor, and aspects of it are linked to relatedness among individuals – i.e., appear to be transmitted genetically. Future work on the molecular basis of IQ in chimps will potentially shed fascinating light on the origins of human IQ (shared or not?) and perhaps therapy for retardation or boosts to IQ, if it can help zoom in the molecules that support intellectual development.