Un amplio estudio realizado en Alemania con más de 800 pares de gemelos concluyó que la genética es el principal factor detrás de las diferencias de inteligencia entre jóvenes adultos. Según la investigación, publicada en la revista Scientific Reports, tres de cada cuatro variaciones en el coeficiente intelectual se explican por la herencia genética, que también influye de manera decisiva en el nivel educativo, la carrera profesional y el ingreso económico alcanzado. Los resultados ponen en cuestión la idea de que el entorno familiar y los recursos económicos durante la infancia sean los elementos clave para el éxito social.

El equipo encabezado por el psicólogo Petri Kajonius determinó que la conexión entre el coeficiente intelectual y el estatus socioeconómico depende en un 69% a 98% de factores genéticos.

El estudio, conocido como proyecto TwinLife, siguió a 880 jóvenes gemelos en Alemania, tanto idénticos como fraternos, y fue analizado por especialistas de la Lund University. Esta metodología permitió contrastar a hermanos criados en el mismo entorno familiar, pero con distinta carga genética. Los investigadores midieron el coeficiente intelectual de los participantes a los 23 años y, cuatro años después, evaluaron su estatus socioeconómico a través de indicadores como el nivel educativo, el empleo y los ingresos.

Los resultados revelaron que el 75% de las diferencias en inteligencia entre los participantes se debe a factores genéticos. La influencia de la herencia también se refleja en la relación entre inteligencia y nivel socioeconómico, determinada en un 69% a 98% por la genética. El impacto del ambiente, los recursos familiares y otras circunstancias explica una proporción menor de estas diferencias.

El estudio cuestiona la creencia extendida de que el entorno y la riqueza familiar son los principales motores del éxito personal. “La llamada ‘cuchara de plata’ no es tan grande como se piensa. La vida en casa también depende de los genes”, sostuvo Kajonius. Si bien el origen social ejerce cierta influencia, la investigación señala que la herencia genética pesa mucho más en el acceso a oportunidades educativas y laborales.

El análisis de los datos reveló que la genética explica entre el 49% y el 66% de las diferencias en nivel educativo y entre el 32% y el 71% de las diferencias en estatus ocupacional. Esta influencia supera ampliamente la de factores ambientales, como la escuela, los amigos o el capital cultural familiar.

Los hallazgos del equipo de la Lund University abren interrogantes sobre el alcance real de las políticas públicas destinadas a igualar oportunidades. Para Kajonius, “el estudio muestra que nacemos con diferentes predisposiciones genéticas y que es difícil generar cambios duraderos con medidas políticas”. La investigación indica que, si bien las intervenciones pueden brindar oportunidades inmediatas, la capacidad de padres, escuelas y gobiernos para modificar el destino individual resulta más restringida de lo esperado.

El psicólogo insistió en que “la psicología se manifiesta en la vida principalmente a través de la composición genética, no tanto por las condiciones ambientales”. Y sostiene que esto puede explicar por qué muchas políticas de igualdad social logran efectos limitados en el largo plazo.

El estudio reconoce limitaciones relevantes. No se tomaron en cuenta el coeficiente intelectual ni el estatus socioeconómico de los padres, y quedaron fuera del análisis las posibles interacciones complejas entre factores genéticos y ambientales. Además, el periodo de seguimiento de cuatro años podría resultar insuficiente para observar el desarrollo profesional completo de los participantes.

Los autores aclaran que la genética no determina el destino de cada persona, sino que incrementa ciertas probabilidades. “La heredabilidad no implica determinismo, solo probabilidades aumentadas”, explicó Kajonius. Como ejemplo, mencionan la miopía: una predisposición genética puede compensarse con recursos adecuados, como el uso de gafas.

Según los especialistas, entender la diversidad genética puede servir para diseñar políticas públicas más eficaces, centradas en potenciar los talentos individuales en lugar de buscar los mismos resultados para todos. La genética establece el rango de posibilidades, mientras que el esfuerzo personal determina la posición que cada uno alcanza dentro de ese margen.

La investigación suma pruebas sobre la influencia de la biología en la inteligencia y el éxito social, y deja abierto el debate sobre cómo equilibrar la relevancia de la herencia genética con el papel de las oportunidades y el esfuerzo personal.

Republicans fell far short in their bid to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.

Democrat Analilia Mejia, who was backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, convincingly defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported. The race was called minutes after the polls closed at 8pm ET.

With her victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.

The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced a steep uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election. 

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, in congratulating Mejia on her victory, said her «grassroots campaign spoke to hardworking New Jersey families. I know she’ll fight to lower costs, protect health care, and tackle the affordability crisis head-on.»

Mejia, a progressive organizer who served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign, pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out a more moderate rival, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field appeared to divide the moderate and center-left vote.

Her primary victory was another boost for the left against the establishment after democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.

Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was unopposed for the GOP congressional nomination, aimed to paint Mejia as too far to the left for the district. He told Fox News Digital the choice for voters was «between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.»

PROGRESSIVES NOTCH ANOTHER WIN OVER DEMOCRATIC MODERATES AS SANDERS-AOC ALLY NEARS CONGRESS

Analilia Mejia secured the Democratic Party nomination in a special election to find out who will take over newly elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant House seat. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mejia recently appeared at a town hall with Malinowski and, on Sunday, teamed up with Sherrill on the campaign trail as she aimed to unite Democrats, who enjoy a sizable registration advantage in the district. Sherrill, a moderate Democrat, flipped the district in her 2018 election to Congress.

Hathaway claimed Mejia was trying «to hide a little bit» from «some of her rhetoric, because she knows that those policies are completely out of touch, but it’s not fooling voters. It’s certainly not fooling us.»

Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the special election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

«She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7,» Hathaway said. «I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.»

Hathaway said, «I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia … and her platform.»

Mejia pledged to «protect the rights of Jewish constituents» and said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said, «Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.»

Mejia last week wrote that she was «honored» after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a «heel turn.»

As he worked to win over independents and Democrats, Hathaway pointed out where he agrees and disagrees with President Donald Trump, who lost the district by eight points in the 2024 presidential election.

REPUBLICANS WIN BUT DEMOCRATS ALSO CLAIM VICTORY WITH BALLOT BOX SURGE IN TRUMP TERRITORY

Campaign signs for Republican candidate Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia in the NJ-11 special congressional election, in Randolph, N.J., April 13, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

«I’m always going to do what’s right for this district first. And I’ve been clear: If the president’s going to do things that are good for the district, increasing the SALT cap deduction, putting money back in people’s pockets, especially New Jersey, affordability is so tough here. If we’re doing things like border security, reducing fentanyl deaths like we’ve seen in our community, those are good things. I support those policies,» Hathaway said.

«But, on the other hand, if the president’s going to do things that aren’t in the best interest of our district, it’s my job to push back, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.»

Hathaway pointed to Trump’s move last year to terminate billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, and the president’s plans to cut roughly 1,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in funding for an Army base located in New Jersey.

«I’m going to call balls and strikes in this race. I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody,» Hathaway said.

«I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16.»

Republican congressional candidate Joe Hathaway speaks with voters at the Randolph Diner April 13, 2026, in Randolph, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Hathaway came up short, given the rough political climate facing Republicans and the traditional headwinds for the party in power.

Mejia repeatedly linked Hathaway to Trump and Republicans in Congress.

«MAGA Republicans are driving up everyday costs with extreme policies my opponent supports. Healthcare and critical programs are being gutted just to fund tax breaks for the ultra-rich. We can’t afford another vote for Trump in Congress,» she wrote in a recent social media post.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor and pollster, called Hathaway’s hopes of capturing crossover Democrats «a pipe dream.»

«Democrats as a whole do not seem interested in finding common ground with Trump,» Cassino said on Monday, predicting most voters in the special election would be strong partisans. 

«Democratic turnout is through the roof, and Republican turnout is depressed at this point.»

Hathaway, looking ahead to a likely rematch with Mejia in November, said in a statement Thursday night, «I still believe the broader electorate in NJ-11 is looking for balanced, pragmatic leadership, not the kind of far-left policies embraced by Ms. Mejia. That conversation is not over.»

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a «significant expansion» of its ​visa restriction policy in ⁠the Western Hemisphere, targeting people working on behalf of U.S. adversaries.

In its announcement, the State Department said the expanded policy allows it to restrict U.S. visas for people intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries to «undermine America’s interests.»

«President Trump’s National Security Strategy makes clear: this Administration will deny adversarial powers the ability to own or control vital assets or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our region,» the department said in a press release. «The Department of State is working to advance American leadership in our hemisphere, protect our homeland, and ensure access to vital routes and areas throughout our region.»

RUBIO IDENTIFIES ‘SINGLE MOST SERIOUS THREAT’ TO THE US FROM WESTERN HEMISPHERE

«In support of this critical objective, the Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere, including regional security and democratic sovereignty,» the department continued.

The administration also said that family members of individuals subject to visa restrictions under this policy will not be allowed to enter the U.S.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, left, and US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

«This expanded policy enables us to restrict U.S. visas for nationals of countries in our region who, while within Western Hemisphere countries and while intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents, or enterprises, knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to, or carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America’s interests in our hemisphere. These individuals – and their immediate family members – will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States,» the department said.

Activities the administration has deemed adversarial and that could trigger visa restrictions include enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing regional security efforts, undermining American economic interests and conducting influence operations designed to weaken the sovereignty and stability of nations in the region.

STATE DEPARTMENT TO ASK FOR BONDS OF UP TO $15,000 FOR VISA APPLICATION FROM A DOZEN MORE COUNTRIES

U.S. passports are arranged for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. A court challenge by federal immigration agents seeking to block President Barack Obama’s deferred-deportation initiative will probably succeed, a judge said. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The department said it has imposed visa restrictions on 26 people under this policy.

«To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities,» the department said. «The Trump Administration will use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region’s safety and prosperity.»

This comes after a series of moves by the administration in recent months to restrict visas for people around the world, including a visa ban on people from dozens of countries listed by the State Department, which civil rights groups have previously sharply criticized.

Critics, including civil rights advocates, have raised concerns about similar visa restriction policies, saying broad definitions of prohibited activity can create questions about how individuals are identified and what due process protections are available.

«This administration’s targeting of people based on their national origin is part of an autocratic playbook designed to make America smaller – to shut out ideas, perspectives, and communities,» Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement earlier this year about the suspension of immigrant visa processing for people from around 75 countries.