Family-based analyses show how children’s genetics shape key traits

The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, called MoBa, includes genetic data from around 230,000 parents and children. Using about 44,000 father–mother–child trios, child and parental genetics were modelled together to estimate the effects of the children’s own genetic differences on their height, educational achievement, sleep duration and depressive symptoms. The relative contributions of child and parental genetics to child development have been estimated using mother–father–offspring trios.