14 male descendants continue the genus of Leonardo da Vinci

Italian researchers presented the results of a decade of work studying the ancestors and descendants of the genius of the Renaissance, according to phys.org. They were able to document 21 generations of the Leonardo da Vinci family that lived for 690 years and represent five branches of the same genus, as well as identify 14 living male offspring. The research is published in the journal Human Evolution.

Scientists have reconstructed the unbroken male lineage of the da Vinci (later Vinci) family from father to son. The first man in the family to be identified was Michele da Vinci, born in 1331. Leonardo da Vinci, born in 1452, represented the sixth generation of the family.

It is known that the Y chromosome, passed down to male offspring, remains almost unchanged for 25 generations. Comparing the Y chromosome of living male relatives with the chromosome of their ancestors extracted from burials confirms the continuity of the family line, and in the case of Leonardo, this would help to identify his own Y chromosome marker.

The artist's confirmed DNA would allow exploring many interesting questions: the reasons for Leonardo's genius, information about the geographical origin of his parents, the explanation of his physical strength and left-handedness, as well as his supernatural vision, the ability to synesthesia, etc. In addition, biological data would make it possible to more accurately attribute the authenticity of the works and materials with which Leonardo worked, which is very important for the world art market.