IQ and longevity claim takes a hit

This paper  calls the lie on this paper:

Arden et al.  The association between intelligence and lifespan is mostly genetic Int J Epidemiology

The claim was not only that IQ was associated with a longer lifespan, but that "genes for IQ" (a fantasy of the IQ people) were directly correlated with longevity.  Great read.  It's all starting to collapse.

Blueprint?

My review of Robert Plomin's, "Blueprint:  How DNA Makes Us What We Are".
(If you are on a tablet or phone, it's easier to read the PDF format)

Yet More Evidence that PRS is Largely a Measure of Population Stratification

Here is another study pointing to the lack of validity of polygenic risk scores.  This one was for height:

We find that the signals of selection using UKB effect-size estimates for height are strongly attenuated or absent. We also provide evidence that previous analyses were confounded by population stratification Therefore, the conclusion of strong polygenic adaptation now lacks support. 

If you aren't able to control for population stratification for something as straight-forward and quantifiable as height, then certainly you won't be able to do better with "Educational Attainment" or really any more complex psychiatric trait or mental construct.  The null here, is that polygenic scores largely measure population stratification and I would be interested in what could be demonstrated that would lead one to reject the null.  Moreover, the failure of PRS also brings into question the polygenic (and, presumably omnigenic) models for phenotypes. 

Stratification and PRS Difficulties

It is becoming clear that population stratification is  a big issue in when assessing polygenic scores.  This study demonstrates:

 Our results emphasize that we have limited understanding of the interplay between our current PS and genetic population structure even within one of the most thoroughly studied populations in human genetics. Therefore, we recommend refraining from using the current PS to argue for significant polygenic basis for geographic phenotype differences until we understand better the source and extent of the geographic bias in the current PS.

Much of the work on this study involved height, so drawing conclusions about more complex mental traits would be even more confounding.  (Would be useful to have a better understanding of the differences in population between Eastern and Western Finland).