The genes that predispose people to attain higher levels of education have been in decline over the past 80 years, and researchers are suggesting that they’re now under negative selection, which could have a big impact on our species in the coming centuries

A study involving more than 100,000 people in Iceland found that those who carry the genes for longer education time were less likely to have a big family, which means that the smartest people in the room were actually contributing less to the Icelandic gene pool. "As a species, we are defined by the power of our brains. Education is the training and refining of our mental capacities," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of Icelandic genetics firm deCODE, which ran the study. "Thus, it is fascinating to find that genetic factors linked to more time spent in education are becoming rarer in the gene pool."