How Genes and Education Mixed in East and West Germany

In Germany, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, something interesting happened with genes and education. Scientists looked at how genes linked to education behaved differently in East and West Germany around the time of reunification.

The Study

• Tool Used: A special tool, a polygenic index, was used to study this.
• Source of Data: The index was made from earlier research on how genes affect education in democratic countries.
• Participants: The study included 1,930 people aged 25 to 85 from a German research group.

Findings

• Pre-Reunification: The link between genes and education was similar in both East and West Germany.
• Post-Reunification: The link became stronger in East Germany, indicating that genes started to play a bigger role in education there.

Verification

The researchers checked if this was just a general trend by looking at genes linked to height, and those didn't show the same pattern. So, the change was specific to education.

Possible Explanation

One idea is that when there are more opportunities, genes have a bigger impact on education. This makes sense because in a more open society, people can choose their paths based on their abilities and interests.

Conclusion

This is just one study. The researchers say more work is needed to confirm these findings. It's an important topic because it shows how genes and environment can mix in different ways.