Fresh speculation that Ashkenazi intelligence may be linked to the lipid disorders prevalent in that population. It's a little strange - its just a new round of hypothesis making, no fresh evidence. I agree with the authors that putting the high frequency of Tay-Sachs and other disorders down to a 'Founder effect' is pretty silly - there are too many independent mutations in each part of the sphingolipid pathway for this kind of explanation. On the other hand, its a bad idea to actually test this hypothesis (ie link carriers of a Tay-Sachs or other allele to IQ) - the jewish dating scene is already shallow and traumatic enough. Having a Tay-Sachs allele would be the ultimate form of yichis.
Researchers Say Intelligence and Diseases May Be Linked in Ashkenazic Genes - New York Times