a discovery is not the same as raw intellectual horsepower. If the goal is to learn as much as possible in the shortest period of time and understand it well, that requires horsepower. But being smarter increases the odds of finding a major discovery for more abstract concepts like math or physics, as Terrance Tao did many times. An IQ of 130 is probably not enough for pure maths, but may be enough for something like medicine.
Enough to make an important discovery in math, which gets citations and such. Having read math papers, there is a wide range of ability. Compare the stuff featured in Quanta magazine to your typical pdf in google. 130 is probably the min. to maybe get a master's degree.
