Our body consists of more than 28 trillion cells and every cell has DNA that is at least a meter long. Our genes are the blueprint of our body: They contain information about hundreds of proteins and RNA. So it is of no wonder that they might also influence intelligence, as a study on chess players suggests.
The WWC1 Gene
The WWC1 gene encodes a protein named KIBRA, which is thought to influence synaptic plasticity. There are two different alleles (‘versions’) of the gene: the T and C alleles. The T allele is thought to indirectly increase the speed of transcription and gray matter volume in some areas of the brain. It is associated with spatial ability, which is important in STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering, mathematics — and chess, as a 2023 study showed.