What’s New

The key methods paper by Rhonda Roby et al., Sampling techniques and genomic analysis of biological material from artworks, appeared in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

As reported in a post on 26 May, in their new book “Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA,” published by Angelo Pontecorboli Editore, Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato present findings from 30 years of genealogical research that have culminated in groundbreaking insights. The book documents an elaborate family tree tracing back to 1331, spanning 21 generations and involving over 400 individuals. The work lays the groundwork for reconstruction of Leonardo’s genetic profile.

Leonardo DNA project counsel Eric Rayman’s essay “Can an Artist’s DNA Help Detect Forgeries?” has been published in the lively art world publication HYPOALLERGIC.

The paper by Massimo Guerrero et al, “Scaling Turbulent Wake Flow Downstream of Isolated Piers in Laboratory and River” where they explore using Leonardo’s drawings to estimate his visual acuity appeared in Results in Engineering.

The new book on the Genealogy and Genetics of Leonardo Da Vinci by Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato is amazing. It caused a blaze of interest in the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project, including many interviews and an impressive series of articles.

Here is the updated list of media coverage as of mid-June.

In summary, there were:
549 articles at 444 different news sites, published in 24 languages in 51 countries
Potential impressions (online articles only): 2.9 billion

Great news: an announcement of the Genìa Da Vinci, Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA book is being issued this week in conjunction with media and public presentations in Florence and Vinci. Congratulations to Alessandro and Agnese for their indefatigable work, and to Angelo for the publishing!

The Genia book represents a significant milestone in the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project, highlighting the results of three decades of genealogical research and the foundation of our ongoing scientific work.

Press Release

Press Conference

PHE Guest Investigator has published open access an insightful essay Forensics, Genius, and Enthusiasm in the Genetics of Leonardo da Vinci as part of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project.

Why do we want the DNA sequence of Leonardo da Vinci? Three categories, or contexts, suggest themselves: The first is in support of art history, provenance studies, and forensics. The presence of DNA attributable to the master would be evidence of his physical proximity. Depending on details, molecular evidence might lend support to assertions that Leonardo had a hand in creating a particular work. The second category of reasons is to explore the hypothesis that Leonardo’s DNA sequence may contain clues to his physical qualities, materials of his work, diet, possible illnesses, and maternal lineage. The possibility that Leonardo’s DNA sequence might yield clues to his extraordinary visual sensibilities or even his singular genius deserves to be said explicitly. The third category is not a “reason” in the usual sense but an “apology” in the sense of explanation. It is that this quest is extraordinarily difficult and it engages our enthusiasm.