Human Intelligence Forming in the Rhythm of Solar Activity

Viktor P Vasylyev 

This study relates to environmental biology and examines a possible link between atmospheric radiation ecology, modulated by space weather, and human cognitive development by analyzing correlations of solar activity phenomena with various indicators of intellectual potential. A novel metric, the Proton Flare Index (PFI), is introduced to quantify the influence of high-energy solar proton events on the terrestrial atmospheric environment. Using systemic comparative analysis across interdisciplinary datasets, a strong correlation (r = 0.98) was identified between the number of Nobel laureates born and the ratio of the cumulative magnitude of powerful Forbush decreases to the PFI, averaged over three 4-year intervals, adjusted for a six-month prenatal offset. A similar pattern (r = 0.76) was observed in the positive and negative trends of average population IQ (the Flynn effect), based on known intelligence tests, conducted over the several decades in different countries. In both cases, no meaningful associations were found when not adjusted for prenatal timing and with conventional sunspot-based solar cycle data. These findings suggest that atmospheric radiation patterns, induced by specific solar and galactic cosmic rays, may act as environmental stressors affecting neural circuit formation during prenatal development. While the precise biological mechanisms remain unclear, such correlations provide a preliminary foundation for rethinking the influence of space weather on human neurodevelopment. In addition to forecasting IQ trends for birth cohorts from 1992 to 2017, the paper explores potential additional contributions to environmental biological effects by secondary particle cascades in the atmosphere, which originate from galactic cosmic rays. This interdisciplinary framework invites further investigations into the role of space-environmental factors in shaping human intelligence, as suggested in the paper.