20 members of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project and guests met via Zoom on March 25 to decide on the group’s position regarding what we are calling “Entrepreneurship”. We recognized that our methods and findings could be used by other experts for the purpose of attributing/authenticating works of art, but the LDV Project is not interested in pursuing this examination. Here is the report on the March 25, 2026 discussion about applying the LDV DNA team’s expertise to privately owned works possibly associated with Leonardo.
Category: Papers
Biological Signatures of History Pre-Publication (bioRxiv 6 January 2026)
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.
Article from Rui Aleixo and Masimo Guerrero in Results in Engineering
Massimo Guerrero and Rui Aleixo informed us on August 26, 2025, that their paper: “Scaling Turbulent Wake Flow Downstream of Isolated Piers in Laboratory and River” was accepted for publication in the Journal Results in Engineering. They explored the results obtained in Gdansk and Bologna based on the Da Vinci experiments carried at the University of Bologna.
In this paper they described a comparison between the horseshoe vortices Leonardo sketched, and matching experiments reproducing that oscillating flow pattern. From that comparison they found out that Leonardo’s sketches implies he may have perceived oscillating patterns at roughly 100 Hertz.
Congratulations to our new colleagues!
Article from LDVP Counsel Eric Rayman in the Art Newsletter Hyperallergic
Can an Artist’s DNA Help Detect Forgeries?
Biological residue on or around an artwork may help tell an original from a fake, but the novel method is not without risks.
Publication of the GENIA DA VINCI BOOK with 400 pages and over 850 illustrations by Pontecorboli Editions
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.