 The surprising results of a decade-long investigation by Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato provide a strong basis for advancing a project researching Leonardo da Vinci's DNA.
Their extensive study, published by the
journal Human Evolution (Pontecorboli Editore, Florence), documents with new
certainty the continuous male line, from father to son, of the Da Vinci family
(later Vinci), from progenitor Michele (born 1331) to grandson Leonardo (6th
generation, born 1452) through to today -- 21 generations in all, including
five family branches -- and identifies 14 living descendants.
The work fills gaps and corrects errors in
previous genealogical research into Leonardo's family, while offering new
discoveries and family tree updates.
This text deepens and enormously expands
the discovery announced in Vinci, Italy, in 2016 by the same Vezzosi and Sabato
of numerous living but indirect descendants including only two males in direct
line, up to the 19th generation, from a single branch of the Vinci family.
It also provides for the first time the
documentary data and information sources over seven centuries to the present
day registry office, with work on additional family branches ongoing.
Leonardo himself had at least 22
half-brothers but no children; a new unpublished document shows that
"Paolo di Leonardo da Vinci da Firenze" was a case of homonymy. The
five family branches are traced from Leonardo's father, ser Piero (5th
generation), and half-brother Domenico (6th). Since the 15th generation, data
have been collected on over 225 individuals. The study, with the collaboration
of the living descendants, contributes to the work of the Leonardo Da Vinci
Heritage Association.
This extraordinary, authoritative 690-year
genealogical investigation is fundamental to affiliated scientific work Vezzosi
and Sabato have underway with the international Leonardo da Vinci DNA project,
supported by The Richard Lounsbery Foundation. The project involves the J.
Craig Venter Institute of La Jolla, California and several other high-profile
universities and research centers, including the Department of Biology of the
University of Florence, directed by David Caramelli.
The Y chromosome, passed on to male
descendants, is known to remain almost unchanged through 25 generations.
Comparing the Y chromosome of today's male relatives with that of their
ancestors in ancient and modern burial sites would both verify the
uninterrupted family line and certify Leonardo's own Y chromosome marker.
Questions potentially probed once
Leonardo's DNA is confirmed include reasons behind his genius, information on
his parents' geographical origins, his physical prowess, premature aging,
left-handedness, diet, health and any hereditary diseases, and his
extraordinary vision, synaesthesia and other sensory perceptions.
Comparison of biological data could also
potentially help verify the authenticity of artwork and materials handled by
Leonardo.
Source: Leonardo Da Vinci
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