Askhenazi Jews Natural Genius?

A recent study from the University of Utah in the forthcoming edition of the Journal of Biosocial Science, concludes that Askhenazi Jews (who make up the large majority of Jews in the US and Europe) have the highest average intelligence of any ethnic group. Higher than Asians, Caucasians, Hispanics, or Blacks.

The researchers theorize that this deviation is a result of intense historical persecution that limited available work for Jews in high intelligence fields (trade and finance) and an isolated gene pool. The researchers also cite as evidence the fact that Jews make up only 2% of the world's population but have won almost 40% of the Nobel prizes, Ashkenazim generally also do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West.