Category: Papers

by Harinder Singh, Seesandra V. Rajagopala, Rebecca Hart, Mark Loftus, Pille Hallast, Rosana A. Wiscovitch-Russo, Cody Conrad, Erica Romsos, David S. Thaler, Guadalupe Piñar, Karina C. Åberg, Rosella Lorenzi, José A Lorente, Jesse H. Ausubel, Thomas P. Sakmar, Rhonda K. Roby, Peter Vallone, Charles Lee, Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe

Here is the bioRxiv submission of the biological signatures’ manuscript. It will soon be submitted for peer-review.

Biological signatures of history: Biome and Y chromosome analysis of cultural artifacts associated with Leonardo da Vinci and other master artists
Posted online at bioRxiv on January 6, 2026
DOI: 10.64898/2026.01.06.697880

Abstract

Cultural heritage objects can accumulate DNA from materials, environments, and repeated human contact, but biomolecular profiling of such items is constrained by nondestructive sampling requirements, ultra-low biomass, and high contamination risk. Here we present a minimally invasive workflow that integrates gentle swab collection, low-input whole-metagenome sequencing, taxonomic profiling, and Y-chromosome analyses to recover ″biological signatures of history″ from Renaissance-era artwork and archival correspondence associated with ancestors of Leonardo da Vinci. Across artifacts, we recovered heterogeneous mixtures of microbial and eukaryotic DNA (including bacteria, fungi, plants, and viruses) consistent with composite ″biomes″ that reflect differences in substrate, storage, conservation treatments, and handling. Multivariate comparisons show reproducible sample-to-sample separations. In parallel, we assessed human Y-chromosome signal using a panel of ~90,000 phylogenetically informative markers and partial Y-STR profiling where feasible. Across multiple independent swabs from Leonardo da Vinci-associated items, the obtained Y chromosome marker data suggested assignments within the broader E1b1/E1b1b clade. However, the control samples also indicate mixed contributions consistent with modern handling and other sources. Together, these data demonstrate the feasibility as well as limitations of combining metagenomics and human DNA marker analysis for cultural heritage science, providing a baseline workflow for future conservation science studies and hypothesis-driven investigations of provenance, authentication and handling history.

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In their new book “Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA ,” published by Angelo Pontecorboli Editions, experts Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato of the Leonardo Da Vinci Heritage Association 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.

The Book caused a blaze of interest in the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project including this article in the Times of London.

Here is the Preface from Jesse Ausubel, as well as the table of contents of the book

The English version of the book will be published in 2026.

Here is the pre-print of the sampling protocol article that will be published as Open Access in the March 2025 issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Article Title: Sampling Techniques and Genomic Analysis of Biological Material from Artworks

Authors: Rhonda K Roby, Rosana A Wiskovitch-Russo, Rebecca Hart, Amanda E Appel, Manija A Kazmi, Thomas Huber, Karina C Åberg, Thomas P Sakmar, José A Lorente, Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe

DOI:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1556-4029.15701

Abstract: The genomic analysis of biological material from artworks can be used to guide curation, preservation, and restoration. Additionally, human DNA recovered from artworks may provide other insights. However, the recovery of biological samples from artworks is dependent on the sampling technique used and the media from which the biological materials are recovered. The ideal sampling method should be noninvasive, yet robust. We studied five artworks on paper and compared three sampling methods, each with increasing degrees of invasiveness. Minimally invasive swabbing techniques collect samples from the surface, whereas more aggressive techniques such as wet vacuuming were expected to yield more biological material from within the support media and more likely to produce authentic DNA from the artwork. We report a comparison of collection techniques to generate microbial DNA sequence data, the conserved human gene RNase P, and Y-STRs from artworks on paper. We observed that wet vacuuming resulted in higher DNA recovery than double swabbing and core punches. Diverse microbial populations existed on the corners and centers of the five artworks studied, but the distribution of the total biomass was relatively even across the surfaces of the works sampled. Studies of peripheral regions, where sampling is less likely to cause alterations to the artwork, could thus yield useful results in microbiome and human DNA studies. These results provide a framework for sampling artworks on paper to obtain biological material. The methods described may provide microbiome identification to facilitate restoration and preservation, and might also contribute to the determination of provenance.

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