Centuries after Leonardo da Vinci died far from his Tuscany homeland, pieces of his life — his sketches, his scribbles, his remains — continue to amaze. Now, scientists are chasing his ghost through the double helix.
They are not looking for brushstrokes or notebooks this time. They are after the genetic essence of the man who imagined flying machines long before the sky was conquered, and dissected cadavers to draw hearts that seemed more alive on parchment than in flesh.
What if we could glimpse the code that built that mind?
The great polymath was never married and sired no children. However, in the town of Vinci, where Leonardo was born, researchers have traced a chain of living men back to his family. They’ve begun to lift DNA from bones buried beneath church floors. They’ve found a charcoal dragon with wings like a bat and a horn like a unicorn, possibly scrawled by Leonardo’s hand.
Together, these fragments are being woven into a new kind of portrait — one made not of paint, but of genes.
The Persistent Y
Leonardo da Vinci was the illegitimate son of a notary and a woman whose identity remains shrouded in mystery. He died in 1519 with no known children. Yet today, a bold effort is underway to reconstruct his DNA — and with it, perhaps uncover the biological threads of his unmatched intellect.
The Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project, a sweeping international initiative, has traced Leonardo’s family line across 21 generations, from 1331 to the present. Spearheaded by art historian Alessandro Vezzosi and genealogist Agnese Sabato, the project has documented more than 400 individuals and confirmed 15 living male-line descendants of Leonardo’s family. Six agreed to DNA testing.
Previously, in 2016, the same Vezzosi and Sabato published a preliminary da Vinci family tree that included many living but indirect descendants, including only two males in a direct line up to the 19th generation. Now, the investigation has been greatly expanded, documenting with new certainty the continuous male line, from father to son, of the da Vinci family.
What the researchers found is remarkable. Each of those six men carries the same Y chromosome signature, passed down virtually unchanged from father to son since the 15th century. This Y chromosome persisted through 25 generations, which is well within the 15 generations since Leonardo’s death.
Reconstructing Genius
According to Vezzosi and Sabato, Leonardo and his half-brother Domenico were part of the 6th generation of the da Vinci family. By the 15th generation, the researchers documented over 225 individuals. Following the branches until today, the researchers documented a 690-year-old genealogical history, which included 21 generations and five family branches.
If Leonardo’s genetic fingerprint can be found among living relatives, the next step is more daring still. They would match it to remains thought to belong to Leonardo’s family, and potentially to the maestro himself. The ultimate goal, of course, is to sequence Leonardo’s full genome.
So, a team from the University of Florence, led by anthropologists Alessandro Riga and Luca Bachechi, has begun excavating a Da Vinci family tomb beneath the Church of Santa Croce in Vinci. Bone fragments recovered there have been radiocarbon dated, and paleogenomic analysis has confirmed that at least one belonged to a male from the appropriate period.
“Further detailed analyses are necessary to determine whether the DNA extracted is sufficiently preserved,” said David Caramelli, director of the Department of Biology at the University of Florence. “Based on the results, we can proceed with analysis of Y chromosome fragments for comparison with current descendants.”
If a genetic match is found, it would not only confirm the historical accuracy of Leonardo’s family tree. It would also open the door to something unprecedented: testing contested biological traces, like skin cells possibly left on Leonardo’s manuscripts, notebooks, or even the surface of a drawing.
What Can Leonardo’s DNA Tell Us?
Geneticists hope a reconstructed genome might offer clues into Leonardo’s rare gifts. Some researchers speculate that his famous “quick eye” — the ability to perceive fleeting details like a dragonfly’s asynchronous wingbeats or the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa — may have a biological basis.
Visual acuity, left-handedness, extraordinary spatial reasoning — these are all traits with known genetic components. Leonardo’s writings also suggest he contemplated what we now call epigenetics: the influence of external factors like diet and behavior on hereditary traits.
“We think he saw things that you and I can’t see,” said Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller University, who co-founded the project. “Even a tiny fingerprint on a page could contain cells to sequence.”
“Leonardo questioned the origins of human life not only biologically,” said Sabato. “In his studies on generation, conception becomes a complex act where nature, emotion, and fate intertwine.”
A New Map of Vinci
The work goes far beyond DNA. Vezzosi and Sabato’s new book, Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA, paints a vivid picture of Leonardo’s world.
By analyzing centuries-old land registries, the researchers identified seven Da Vinci family homes in the town and countryside of Vinci, along with two properties Leonardo himself inherited and once contested in court. They brought renewed attention to his maternal lineage as well. Increasingly plausible is the theory that his mother, Caterina, was a slave of Middle Eastern origin, living in the household of a wealthy Florentine banker.
One of the book’s most surprising revelations lies in the mysterious “Unicorn Dragon” drawing, discovered on the mantle of an old home in Vinci. Its stylistic elements — clawed limbs, flaming tongue, membranous wing — echo Leonardo’s early sketches of birds and bats. Now, the drawing is undergoing scientific analysis under Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage. This work is with support from Vinci’s mayor and the local museum.
A Unique and Ambitious Project
The Leonardo DNA Project could set a precedent for how we approach history and art. Genetic material, if properly authenticated, could help verify or disprove the authorship of disputed works. It could also humanize historical icons by revealing their ailments, appearances, or predispositions.
“This is not just about the author of the world’s most famous painting,” said Ausubel. “It’s a challenge to redefine the limits of historical knowledge and cultural heritage.”
Launched in 2016 and supported by institutions like Rockefeller University and the J. Craig Venter Institute, the project has been described as one of the most ambitious historical-genetic investigations ever attempted. It combines molecular biology, forensic anthropology, art history, and local Tuscan geography into a single sprawling effort.
For Vinci, Leonardo’s birthplace, the project brings global attention — and perhaps a new way to honor its most famous son. So, the town plans to showcase the findings in a documentary and international film production. The book’s official presentation is scheduled for May 22, 2025, at the Vinci Theater.
