hereditability

Heritability is a measure used by scientists to estimate how much of the differences in a trait—like height or intelligence—between individuals in a specific population are due to genetic factors. It ranges from 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%), where a higher value indicates genetics play a larger role in those differences. Importantly, heritability doesn’t tell us about individuals, but about variation within a group. Environmental factors also influence traits, so high heritability doesn’t mean the trait isn’t affected by outside conditions; it only reflects the genetic contribution to differences seen in that particular population.