00:00The Secret of the Geniuses' Genes
00:02Scientists reconstruct Leonardo da Vinci's DNA
00:06Hello everyone, and welcome to this fascinating story.
00:10Today, we're going to travel back in time, 500 years to the past,
00:15to unravel the secrets of one of the greatest geniuses who ever walked the earth,
00:20Leonardo da Vinci.
00:22But we won't do it with history books, we'll do it with cutting-edge science.
00:26Imagine this, an international team of historians, geneticists, and archaeologists
00:32have joined forces in the Leonardo DNA project with a mission straight out of a movie,
00:37to reconstruct the DNA of this iconic artist, inventor, and scientist.
00:43It all began with the meticulous work of historian Alessandro Vizzosi and expert Agnes Sabato.
00:49For 30 years, they dedicated themselves to a genealogical investigation that sounds crazy.
00:55They traced the da Vinci family back to the year, 1,331,
01:01creating a family tree spanning 21 generations with over 400 people.
01:07The objective was clear.
01:09To find the living descendants of Leonardo's paternal line those,
01:12who, like him, would carry the Y chromosome.
01:16Why the Y chromosome?
01:18Because it is passed down almost unchanged from father to son,
01:23like a genetic footprint that crosses centuries,
01:26and they succeeded.
01:27They identified 15 direct descendants, some of whom are alive today.
01:33Scientists David Caramelli and Alina Pili from the University of Florence
01:37took samples from six of these men.
01:40The results were astounding.
01:42Fragments of their Y chromosomes matched,
01:45confirming the da Vinci genetic line, at least since the 15th century.
01:50But the story doesn't end there.
01:52The research also led them to a cemetery in Vinci, Italy.
01:57At the Church of Santa Croce,
01:58they believe Leonardo's grandfather and several of his half-brothers are buried there.
02:04Excavations have already recovered bones.
02:06One of them, a bone fragment, belongs to a male,
02:10and its age matches that of da Vinci's relatives.
02:13Now comes the most exciting part.
02:16If the Y chromosome from the bones matches that of the living descendants,
02:20the accuracy of the entire investigation will be confirmed.
02:25This will open the door to search for Leonardo's DNA
02:27in any biological trace he might have left behind,
02:31such as fingerprints or fluids on his manuscripts.
02:34The project's goals are enormous, with Leonardo's DNA.
02:39Scientists hope to understand his biological secrets.
02:43What gave him his sharp vision or his boundless creativity?
02:47Did he suffer from any diseases?
02:49What was his diet?
02:50They could even confirm if he was left-handed
02:53or recreate his physical appearance.
02:56And this could revolutionize how we verify the authenticity of artworks
03:00by comparing an artworks-DNA to its authoress.
03:04But the surprises don't stop.
03:07In their book, Da Vinci,
03:09the researchers reveal more fascinating discoveries.
03:13For example,
03:14they identified seven da Vinci family homes
03:16and two properties owned by Leonardo himself.
03:19They also propose a new and surprising theory
03:22about Leonardo's mother, Katerina.
03:26Through ancient documents,
03:27they suggest she may have been a slave
03:29in the service of a wealthy banking family.
03:32And there is a finding that could change our view of his art.
03:36In a fireplace in Vinci,
03:37a mysterious drawing of a unicorn dragon was found.
03:41Some experts believe it could be an original sketch by Leonardo,
03:45as its elements resemble his later studies on flight.
03:48This project is much more than a simple investigation.
03:53As Jesse H. Ossabel,
03:54director of the Leonardo DNA Project at Rockefeller University,
03:58says,
03:59it is a challenge to redefine the limits of historical knowledge.
04:03The reconstruction of da Vinci's genetic profile
04:05is not only a scientific milestone,
04:08but a tribute to the genius and legacy
04:10of a man whose genetic voice,
04:12after 500 years,
04:14resonates again with great pride in his small hometown.
04:18Science continues to help us write new chapters
04:20in this incredible story.
04:23Money Explainers.
Comentarios