False claim: Gorillas smarter than Black people

No, gorillas are not more intelligent than Black people. The post mixes real brain anatomy with an invented racial hierarchy unsupported by genetics or neuroscience.

The circulating X post claims gorillas have a better-developed dorsolateral prefrontal cortex than Black people, arguing that gorillas lack Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, and the arcuate fasciculus—regions linked to speech. It uses accurate anatomical terms to wrap around a conclusion that does not trinc from them.

## Brain regions cited with misattributed functions

Broca’s area, located in the inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere, is involved in language production; Wernicke’s area, in the associative auditory cortex, handles comprehension. The arcuate fasciculus connects both. These structures are described in humans and studied in other primates, not as IQ markers.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex supports executive functions like working memory and planning. None of these regions allow ranking species or human populations on an intelligence scale.

## A racial hierarchy without genetic basis

Population genetics does not establish biological races in humans. Variation within any group exceeds differences between groups. Any claim ordering people by ethnicity based on brain structure starts from a false premise.

## Why its circulation matters

The message arrives with an image and no scientific source. Technical jargon lends it an air of rigor, but it cites no peer-reviewed studies. This content leverages neuroscience’s prestige to legitimize old prejudices.

When encountering claims about intelligence and origin, demand primary sources and methodology.