It's clearly possible for a something to acquire higher intelligence than its ancestors: we evolved to be smarter than our ape-like ancestors, and Einstein was smarter than his parents.
Stephen HawkingWhat you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.
Stephen HawkingThere are no black holes - in the sense of regimes from which light can't escape to infinity. There are however apparent horizons which persist for a period of time.
Stephen Hawking