Scientists discovered 6 living relatives of the genius of all time through DNA

The legendary Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, as it turns out, may have living relatives - though not direct descendants, since he had no children.

As Iflscience reports, researchers from the "Leonardo DNA" project announced the possible discovery of six of his modern relatives. This is the result of a large-scale genealogical study, presented in the book "Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo's DNA" by Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato from the Leonardo da Vinci Heritage Association.

Scientists managed to reconstruct an extensive family tree spanning almost 700 years, 21 generations, and more than 400 people. Research of the male lineage of descendants allowed them to identify 15 living men descended from Leonardo's father and his half-brother Domenico Benedetto.

Subsequently, biologists David Caramelli and Elena Pilli conducted genetic analysis of six men. All of them had matching segments of the Y-chromosome, indicating an unbroken male genetic line preserved for at least 15 generations.

However, Leonardo's own DNA has not yet been officially confirmed. Scientists examined bone remains found in the tomb of the Santa Croce church in Vinci, where his relatives rest, but only one sample passed preliminary analysis.

Although scientists emphasize the need for additional research, it is already clear: the people found are not direct descendants of Leonardo, since, according to historians, he had no children. Nevertheless, it is known that he had many half-brothers and sisters, whose descendants probably live today.