Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Sequence May Be Found in Red Chalk Drawing Called ‘Holy Child’
Researchers from Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project (LDVP) reports that by analyzing the drawing of Holy Child and other Renaissance artefacts, such as letters written by a relative of da Vinci, have found Y chromosome DNA sequences that appear to be part of the genetic makeup of a group of people with a common ancestor in Tuscany, where the Renaissance genius and king was born in 1452.
DNA
Historical artifacts can accumulate DNA from the environment and provide useful information about the people who created and handled them. However, gathering that information about those valuables without damaging or contaminating them is a complex challenge. Today, decisions about the authorship of a work depend on expert opinion—for example, how a brushstroke was created.
So LDVP researchers use a very gentle swiping technique to try to collect organisms. They then extracted small amounts of DNA, which provided useful information. “We found a mixture of non-human DNA,“ said the study, published in preprint in the journal bioRxiv, “and, in a set of samples, male-specific DNA signals were prominent.”
The Da Vinci Clue
From the analysis the researchers concluded that they found a close match between the extensive E1b1b ancestry on the Y chromosome (parts of which are passed almost invariably from father to son) now found mostly in southern Europe, Africa, and parts of the Middle East. Some of the DNA, they say, may have come from Leonardo da Vinci himself.
“Among the many independent swabs from material associated with Leonardo da Vinci, the Y chromosome data obtained suggested assignments within the broad category E1b1/E1b1b,” reads the study. The results also show mixed DNA contributions associated with source material, however, consistent with modern management.
“Together, these data demonstrate the feasibility and limitations of combining metagenomics and human DNA marker analysis for cultural heritage science,” reads the paper, “providing a basic workflow for future conservation science studies and hypothesis-driven investigations of evolution, authentication and host history.”
Further Investigations
Although research has shown a new way, they admit that they have not come back with conclusive evidence. Although the data suggests that the DNA may be da Vinci’s, asserting that any DNA found in the artefacts is actually his is very difficult. “Establishing a consistent identity … is very complex,” David Caramelli, an anthropologist at the University of Florence and a member of the LDVP, told Science.
This is because scientists cannot confirm the sequence of genes by comparing them with DNA known to have been taken from Leonardo da Vinci himself; no samples are confirmed. In addition, da Vinci had no known direct descendants, and his burial site was broken in the early 19th century. Encouraged by the first clue about da Vinci’s DNA, LDVP scientists now hope to secure the keepers of Leonardo’s works and notebooks to allow them to take an additional sample that could solve the case.
This story appeared on WIRED Italia and was translated from Italian.
