Uriah

My original title for this post was going to be “why are Northwest Europeans so nerdy?” and the basic thesis here is that their brain organization is tilting toward autism.

The correlation between total brain volume and IQ is real, but weak (0.3-0.4). But a large brain volume seems to be associated with creative achievement in a way largely independent of IQ.

It was once common for great scientists to donate their brains for study and this 1928 paper (really a meta-analysis) contains an amazing treasure trove of data related to the brains of men like Gauss: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1005434?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents …

On Gauss: "The brain is in many respects the most notable of any in this series.... The surface configurations of the cerebrum are remarkable for the multiplicity of fissures and the great complexity of the convolutions....

The richness of http://fissuration.is  particularly notable in the frontal region while the subparietal regions, especially the marginal and angular gyres, exhibit a relatively enormous expansion."

“The average brain-weight of the 108 individuals is 1473 grams, exceeding the various averages given for the European brain by 75 to 100 grams, and this without allowing for the advanced age of the men in this series.” This is more than would be expected from a 0.3 correlation.