Genetic factors shape choice of academic field - international study
A new large-scale study has found that genetic factors influence what people choose to study, showing that genes play a role not only in educational attainment but also in specific field specialization, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
Researchers from Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands analyzed genetic data from 463,134 individuals and discovered 17 genetic variants linked to seven out of ten educational fields. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that these genetic influences are specific to field choice rather than to education level, remaining significant even after accounting for years of schooling and other factors.
“We found that the genetic signal is specific to field choice rather than educational attainment,” the authors wrote. “This helps explain why people with similar education levels often follow very different career paths.”
The research identified two main dimensions shaping educational specialization, technical versus social and practical versus abstract, each showing distinct genetic correlations with personality traits, behavior, and socioeconomic status.
According to the study, this evidence highlights a new way to understand how individual differences shape academic and career choices. “Our findings demonstrate that genomic research can illuminate ‘horizontal’ stratification - differences in educational paths that go beyond how far people study,” the paper noted.
The authors emphasize that genetic predispositions interact with social and cultural contexts rather than determine outcomes, adding that the Nordic data, where education is free and broadly accessible, best reflect intrinsic preferences rather than economic constraints.
Earlier, it was reported that 29-year-old entrepreneur Cathy Tie, known as “Biotech Barbie,” launched Manhattan Genomics, a startup exploring genome editing in human embryos to prevent inherited diseases, a move that has sparked both interest and concern in the scientific community amid renewed debate over “CRISPR babies.”