21 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The researchers may have cracked the mystery of da Vinci’s DNA

A recent study of Leonardo da Vinci’s family tree indicates that the renowned Renaissance artist, inventor, and anatomist had 14 surviving male cousins. The new family tree might one-day aid academics in determining if the Italian genius’s bones are placed in a French church.

Historians Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato have spent over a decade tracking the ancestors of famous painter.

Their map spans 690 years, 21 generations, and five family branches, and will be critical in assisting anthropologists in sequencing da Vinci’s DNA by sequencing the DNA of his ancestors, according to the researchers.

Beyond determining the identity of his possible remains, scientists hope that sequencing the artist’s DNA will help them better understand “his extraordinary talents — notably, his visual acuity, though genetic associations,” according to representatives from the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project, a project that aims to use genetic data to create 3D images of da Vinci through a process called DNA phenotyping.

In recent research, Vezzosi and Sabato traced the five branches of the da Vinci family tree using historical records from archives and direct recollections from surviving ancestors. Leonardo belonged to the sixth generation of da Vincis, according to historians.

Only one of da Vinci’s parents can be fully traced, making family history research challenges. Leonardo da Vinci was the son of Florentine lawyer Ser Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman named Caterina. He was born out of wedlock in the Tuscan hamlet of Anchiano. At age 5, the young da Vinci was taken to his family estate in the town of Vinci (from which his family took their surname ) to live with his grandparents.  

Da Vinci had no known offspring when he died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67, and his bones were lost, thus there was no trustworthy DNA to examine. As a result, several aspects of his lineage are shrouded in obscurity.

Leonardo was buried at the church of Saint-Florentin in the Chateau d’Amboise, a manor house in France’s Loire Valley. After the French Revolution, the church was left to rot and was ultimately destroyed. According to contemporary reports, a whole skeleton was excavated from the spot and relocated to the adjacent Saint-Hubert church, although whether or not these are Leonardo’s bones remains unknown.

The new family tree, which begins in 1331 with family patriarch Michele, showed 14 surviving relatives with diverse vocations such as office employees, a pastry chef, a blacksmith, an upholsterer, a porcelain vendor, and an artist.

The researchers will compare the Y chromosome in the human remains from the Loire Valley chapel to the Y chromosome in da Vinci’s male relatives to establish whether the human remains from the Loire Valley chapel belong to da Vinci. According to the experts, the Y chromosome is passed down from father to son and can remain virtually unaltered for up to 25 generations.

Furthermore, discovering remnants of da Vinci’s genetic code might assist art historians in determining the validity of artworks, notes, and diary entries allegedly made by the Italian Renaissance artist by matching his discovered DNA with DNA traces found on the items.

The researchers published their findings July 4 in the journal Human Evolution.

Originally published on Live Science.

Related Articles

The Mysterious Origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant Finally Revealed

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

There’s a huge chalk image of a man with a powerful erection and no clothes on his butt located in...

Roman Bath and Magnificent Mosaics Used as Stables by the Villagers For Many Years

3 January 2025

3 January 2025

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Herakleia in Muğla’s Milas district in western Türkiye unearthed a striking discovery from...

Secrets of the Galloway Hoard Revealed

27 May 2021

27 May 2021

Experts have uncovered fascinating secrets of a Viking Age hoard discovered by a metal detector to be presented to the...

Poland’s oldest copper axe discovered in the Lublin region

30 March 2024

30 March 2024

A copper axe from the 4th to 3rd millennium BC identified with the Trypillia culture was found in the Horodło...

Philippines Cagayan Cave Art 3500 Years Old

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A depiction depicting a human-like figure on a cave wall in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, is Southeast Asia’s first directly...

An ancient bronze hand may be the oldest and longest example of Vasconic script

20 February 2024

20 February 2024

Researchers have discovered rare evidence of an enigmatic ancient language on a 2,000-year-old bronze hand. The inscription on the hand...

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue in Israel

8 August 2022

8 August 2022

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue at Huqoq in Israel,...

Archaeologists in Egypt unearth Roman-era cabin and royal sphinx statue

6 March 2023

6 March 2023

An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a sphinx statue inside a Roman-era limestone cabin excavated in Egypt’s south. The artifacts were...

Statue Head of Goddess Tyche Discovered in Bulgaria

8 December 2024

8 December 2024

A remarkably crafted head of a large statue of the Greek goddess Tyche was recently unearthed during the excavations of...

The first mother-daughter burial from the Roman period found in Austria

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Modern scientific methods are increasingly uncovering spectacular results from archaeological finds dating back a long time. A grave discovered 20...

Rock tombs dating back 1,800 years have been discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Blaundus

1 October 2021

1 October 2021

In the ancient city of Blaundus, located in the Ulubey neighborhood of the western Anatolian city of Uşak, 400 rock-cut...

A 4000-year-old Fabric Found in a Cave of Skulls in the Judean Desert is the Oldest Dyed with Insect Dye

15 July 2024

15 July 2024

Researchers discovered an ancient textile dyed with kermes (Kermes vermilio) in Israel’s Cave of Skulls that dates back to the...

Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Roman Fort of Apsaros in Georgia, found evidence of the Legion X Fretensis

27 May 2023

27 May 2023

Polish scientists discovered that Legion X Fretensis, known for its brutal suppression of Jewish uprisings, was stationed in the early...

Human Relief Found at Million Stone Excavation Site in İstanbul

18 July 2021

18 July 2021

The Milion Stone (also known as the Million Stone) from the Eastern Roman period is one of important the historical...

Archaeologists Discovered Medieval Silver Communion Set and 70 Silver Coins in Hungary

16 June 2024

16 June 2024

A 14th-century silver communion set (chalice and wafer holder) and a treasure trove of 70 silver coins were discovered in...