At Einstein’s autopsy in 1955, his brain was something of a disappointment: it turned out to be a tad smaller than the average Joe’s. Indeed, later studies have suggested a minimal link between brain size and intelligence. It seems brain quality rather than quantity is key。

　　在1955 年對愛因斯坦尸體的解剖中，他的大腦多少讓人有些失望——它比一個成年男子大腦的平均體積還稍微小一點(diǎn)。其實(shí)后來的研究也指出，大腦的體積與智力的關(guān)系極微，似乎“質(zhì)”比“量”更為關(guān)鍵。

　　One important factor seems to be how well our neurons can talk to each other. Martijn van den Heuvel, a neuroscientist at Utrecht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, found that smarter brains seem to have more efficient networks between neurons – in other words, it takes fewer steps to relay a message between different regions of the brain. That could explain about a third of the variation in a population’s IQ, he says。

　　一個重要的因素就是我們大腦中的神經(jīng)元相互的交流度有多好。荷蘭烏特勒支大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)中心的神經(jīng)科學(xué)家馬丁·范登·赫維爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，較聰明的大腦似乎擁 有更加有效的神經(jīng)元網(wǎng)絡(luò)，換句話說就是信息在大腦不同區(qū)域間傳遞所花費(fèi)的步驟更少。他說，人類1/3 的智力差異都是由于這個原因。

　　Another key factor is the insulating fatty sheath encasing neuron fibers, which affects the speed of electrical signals. Paul Thompson at the University of California, Los Angeles, has found a correlation between IQ and the quality of the sheaths。

　　另一個關(guān)鍵要素是將神經(jīng)纖維與外界隔離的脂肪鞘，它可以影響電信號的傳輸速度。加利福尼亞大學(xué)洛杉磯分校的保羅·湯普森發(fā)現(xiàn)，智力與脂肪鞘質(zhì)量之間是有關(guān)聯(lián)的。

　　We still don’t know exactly how much genes contribute to intelligence, with various studies coming up with estimates rangingfrom 40 to 80 per cent. This wide range of estimates might have arisen because genes contribute more to IQ as we get older, according to a study published last year. By comparing the intelligence of 11,000 pairs of twins, Robert Plomin of King’s College London found that at age 9, genes explain 40 per cent of the variation, but by 17 they account for roughly two-thirds。

　　對于基因?qū)χ橇ζ鸬淖饔谜级嗌?，各種研究估計(jì)出的比例從40% 到 80% 不等，我們?nèi)匀粺o法確定具體數(shù)字。根據(jù)去年公布的一項(xiàng)研究，這個寬泛的估計(jì)值可能會升高，因?yàn)殡S著年齡的增長，基因?qū)χ橇Φ淖饔脮絹碓酱?。通過對1.1 萬對雙胞胎智力的比較，倫敦國王學(xué)院的羅伯特·普洛明發(fā)現(xiàn)，9歲的時(shí)候，40%的智力差異是由基因影響的，而到了17 歲，比例升到了大概2/3。

　　How could that be? Perhaps the genes affect how our brain rewires itself as we mature. Alternatively, they may dictate whether someone is likely to seek out stimulating experiences to help their brain grow and develop. “If we are predisposed to have a talent, we may actively seek out an environment to suit it,” says Thompson。

　　這種結(jié)果是如何產(chǎn)生的呢？也許是因?yàn)殡S著我們長大，基因會影響我們的大腦如何進(jìn)行神經(jīng)重塑，要么就是基因會支配一個人是否愿意去尋找有刺激性的 體驗(yàn)來幫助他們的大腦生長發(fā)育。湯普森說，“如果我們預(yù)先決定要創(chuàng)造出一個天才，那我們可能就要積極地去尋找一個環(huán)境來配合他的成長”。(《英語沙龍》時(shí) 尚版)