The results of the Minnesota study have been widely disseminated by the popular press. Unfortunately, the meaning of the results has often been distorted. Sometimes, the misrepresentation of science by the popular press does not matter at least not much. This is not one of those times. People s misbeliefs about the origins of human intelligence and personality are often translated into inappropriate and discriminatory social attitudes and practices (see McGuffin, Riley,& Plomin, 2001). The accompanying newspaper story illustrates how the results of the Minnesota study have been misrepresented to the public.