Children of older fathers have lower IQs

Children born to older men perform worse in intelligence tests than those with younger fathers, researchers have found.A review of medical records of more than 30,000 children showed that those born to 20-year-old men scored on average three points higher in IQ tests than children whose fathers were 50-years-old when they were born.The finding is the first to link mens' age to impaired cognitive ability in their children and builds on recent work that suggests older men are more likely to have children with congenital heart defects, autism, schizophrenia and childhood cancers.The same study found that children's IQ was marginally higher if they were born to older mothers, a finding scientists have put down to those women spending more time caring for and nurturing their infants.The poorer performance of children with older fathers may be due to several factors, including how they interact with their children, but many scientists believe...

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