Male Descendants Of Leonardo Da Vinci Traced Through Family Tree

New family tree spans 21 generations in 690 years, finds 14 living male descendants of Leonardo Da Vinci, as per the surprising results of a decade-long extensive study "The New Genealogical Tree of the Da Vinci Family for Leonardo's DNA", published by the journal "Human Evolution" (Pontecorboli Editore, Florence). It documents for the first time with new certainty the continuous male line by passing of the unchanged Y chromosome, almost through 25 generations from father to son, of the Da Vinci family (later Vinci), from progenitor Michele (born 1331) to grandson Leonardo (6th generation, born 1452) through to today -- 21 generations in all, including five family branches -- and identifies 14 living descendants.

It is known that Leonardo himself had at least 22 half-brothers but no children; a new unpublished document shows that "Paolo di Leonardo da Vinci da Firenze" was a case of homonymy.

The five family branches are traced from Leonardo's father, ser Piero (5th generation), and half-brother Domenico (6th). Since the 15th generation, data have been collected on over 225 individuals. The study, with the collaboration of the living descendants, contributes to the work of the Leonardo Da Vinci Heritage Association.

Questions potentially probed once Leonardo's DNA is confirmed include reasons behind his genius, information on his parents' geographical origins, his physical prowess, premature aging, left-handedness, diet, health and any hereditary diseases, and his extraordinary vision, synaesthesia, and other sensory perceptions.

Hence further comparison of biological data could also potentially help verify the authenticity of artwork and materials handled by Leonardo.

Source-Medindia