Academic says men are more intelligent than women

Richard Lynn, the emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, argues that men have larger brains and higher IQs than women, to such an extent that they are better suited to "tasks of high complexity".

His study is due to be published with Paul Irwing, a senior lecturer in organisational psychology at Manchester University, in the British Journal of Psychology in November. He said that men not only have larger brains but also have higher IQs, on average by about 5 points, than women.

This means more men than women have high IQs and the authors claim this means men are more likely to win Nobel prizes and make scientific discoveries, according to The Times Higher Education Supplement.

The professor has caused outrage in the past with claims that white people are more intelligent than blacks and that criminal traits are genetically inherited.

Dr Irwing said he had initially been reluctant to take part in the study, arguing that he would have personally preferred not to have discovered that men had a biological advantage.