Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

Two new high-profile studies add to the increasingly worrisome picture of how even mild cases of COVID-19 can have detrimental effects on brain health.

Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of Research and Development, VA St. Louis Health Care System. Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
Feb. 28, 2024 • ~9 min

IQ tests: the danger of reading too much into them – and the crucial cognitive skills they don’t measure

The majority of children who do not take or pass IQ-style entrance exams to private- or grammar schools, will have many qualities not measured on an IQ test. They may also just be late developers.

Lawrence Whalley, Emeritus Professor of Mental Health, University of Aberdeen • conversation
Feb. 23, 2024 • ~9 min

Are rich people more intelligent? Here's what the science says

Education, contacts and luck can play a considerable role when it comes to building up wealth.

Fernand Gobet, Professorial Research Fellow of Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science • conversation
June 1, 2023 • ~8 min

Video games: our study suggests they boost intelligence in children

A big study accounting for genes and socioeconomic background suggests that video games actually cause children’s intelligence to grow.

Bruno Sauce, Assistant Professor of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam • conversation
May 12, 2022 • ~7 min

IQ tests can't measure it, but 'cognitive flexibility' is key to learning and creativity

Are you good at changing perspectives? If so, it may benefit you in more ways than you imagine.

Victoria Leong, Affiliated Lecturer of Psychology, University of Cambridge • conversation
June 23, 2021 • ~9 min

What are phthalates, and how do they put children's health at risk?

Scientists issued an urgent call for better federal regulation of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Here's why.

Stephanie Eick, Postdoctoral Researcher in Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Feb. 26, 2021 • ~6 min

These toxic chemicals steal IQ points from American kids

Exposure to toxic chemicals, especially flame retardants and pesticides resulted in more than a million cases of intellectual disability in the US between 2001 and 2016, research finds.

NYU Langone Medical Center • futurity
Jan. 14, 2020 • ~6 min

Can folate offset air pollution’s harm during pregnancy?

Women exposed to high levels of air pollution while pregnant may have children with lower IQs. But folate may offset some of the toxic effects.

U. Washington • futurity
July 26, 2019 • ~4 min

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