Preliminary results of the study demonstrated a connection between the sample on the sheet and genetic material related to the artist's family. However, the data obtained requires further verification.
The international research team was led by Harinder Singh, a scientist from the J. Craig Venter Institute. His team conducted an analysis of the drawing depicting the head of an infant from a private collection known as "Holy Infant." The researchers took microscopic samples from both the front and back sides of the sheet. As a result, traces of not only bacteria, fungi, and plant and animal DNA were found, but also human genetic material.
However, there is one problem — the exact authorship of the drawing remains unclear. Art historians only speculate that it may belong to da Vinci. Furthermore, the DNA fragments turned out to be heavily damaged, which may indicate that they could have belonged to different people who touched the object over the centuries.
The research team consists of more than 30 scientists from various parts of the world, including geneticists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and art historians. They also plan to conduct DNA analysis on fifteen modern men who are direct descendants of da Vinci through the paternal line.
