Paying For Dubious Probabilities?

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a slippery beast! It can be influenced, for example, by characteristics of the tester and the tested. Although this trait has an inherited component, environment and random biological events also influence the 'score'. Access to healthcare; education and a supportive family environment are especially important. It's also a polygenic factor, influenced by a thousands of genes. This makes it very difficult/impossible to link IQ to particular genes. The US startup Heliospect, appears, however, to be preparing to launch a service they say will enable parents to select IQ and other 'desirable' traits (e.g. low risk of psychiatric disorders) in their embryos Heliospect's 'genomic prediction' services for prospective IVF couples, are claimed to have the potential to result in a 6 point IQ gain for selected embryos (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/18/what-is-genomic-prediction-and-can-embryos-really-be-screened-for-iq). Most experts think that Heliospect's claims are currently highly contentious. 'Genomic prediction' just seems to be adding further pressures to folk undergoing stressful (and expensive?) IVF procedures. Most couples don't have numerous viable embryos to select from and pregnancies are not always successful. Furthermore, a high IQ is by no means a guarantee of a happy and successful life.