"About ten years ago researchers across a wide range of disciplines, from forensic science and genetics to art history, got together with the goal of finding the Renaissance artist's DNA. Da Vinci had no children, and his remains were disturbed during the French Revolution. The hope is that uncovering his DNA could open the door to a number of discoveries, including new tools for authenticating artwork and potential clues about da Vinci's uncanny way of seeing the world."
"To learn more about this paper and the project overall we talked with forensic legend Rhonda Roby. In addition to being part of the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project Rhonda is known for her work using DNA analysis to identify remains of people killed during 9/11 and the 1973 Chilean coup by Pinochet. She was also part of the team that identified the remains of Czar Nicholas II, along with other members of the Romanov family."
Researchers formed a multidisciplinary project roughly a decade ago to locate Leonardo da Vinci's DNA to enable artwork authentication and investigate his perceptual traits. Da Vinci left no descendants and his remains were disturbed during the French Revolution, complicating identification. A new preprint reports male DNA on a chalk drawing called Holy Child often attributed to Leonardo, and suggests the genetic material could possibly originate from him, though some experts remain skeptical. The preprint has not yet undergone peer review. Forensic scientist Rhonda Roby, known for DNA work identifying victims of 9/11, the 1973 Chilean coup, and the Romanovs, is part of the project.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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