Science Magazine Podcast The real da Vinci code, and the world’s oldest poison arrows
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Jan 8, 2026 Richard Stone, science writer exploring artomics and the hunt for Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA. Sven Isakson, archaeological scientist who analyzes ancient residues and hunting tech. They discuss attempts to recover Leonardo’s genetic traces from papers and artworks. They also cover evidence for 60,000-year-old poisoned microliths and what that implies about early hunting and plant knowledge.
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Feasibility Of Recovering Da Vinci's DNA
- Recovering Leonardo da Vinci's DNA is feasible by sampling artworks, manuscripts, and living collateral descendants.
- Researchers focus on the Y chromosome from modern relatives and DNA from sketches and letters to triangulate a da Vinci Y haplogroup.
Artomics Reconstructs Historical Environments
- Artomics analyzes human and environmental DNA on artworks to create a contextual picture of provenance and period conditions.
- From a Leonardo sketch they sequenced orange tree DNA and from a cousin's letter they found malaria parasite DNA to date and localize samples.
Linking Genes To Leonardo's Visual Acuity
- Beyond identification, researchers hope to search da Vinci's genome for alleles linked to extraordinary visual acuity.
- Hydraulic engineers reconstructed flows Leonardo drew and estimated he may have had higher flicker fusion frequency, motivating genetic queries into retinal potassium channels.