S6.12: Da Vinci’s DNA: What happens when genetics meets art
Hello, and welcome to Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. In this episode we’re taking a journey into the world of art and artefacts - exploring what we can learn from extracting DNA from paintings, hair and even chewing gum - and unearthing the genetic secrets of long-dead legends like Da Vinci, Van Gogh and Beethoven.
“The Supper at Emmaus”, Han van Meegeren, Image courtesy of: Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Faking it: Using DNA to authenticate art
Modern-day DNA technology is helping to solve the ancient problem of art forgery.
Click here to read the full transcript…
CSI Renaissance: DNA from Da Vinci, Beethoven and Van Gogh
Researchers are uncovering the secrets of legends like Da Vinci, Beethoven and Van Gogh by sequencing DNA from historical artefacts and living relatives.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Could your DNA become art?
Discover how bio-inspired artists Paul Vanouse and Heather Dewey-Hagborg are incorporating DNA into their work.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Coming up from the Genetics Society!
Don’t forget to register for this year’s Genetics Society Summer Symposium - DNA: Past, Present and Future, taking place on June 29th in Cambridge and online. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the description of the double helix, the symposium will include world leading geneticists such as Professors Cecilia Lindgren and Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, and friend of the pod Professor Matthew Cobb discussing what really went down between Watson, Crick and Franklin.
Advance registration is necessary for both virtual and in-person attendance. Either head over to genetics.org.uk and look under the Events tab, or, as always, you can find the link in the show notes on our website.
That’s all for now. After all these stories of DNA extraction and reconstruction, next time we’ll be taking a deeper dive into the ethics of extracting and sequencing DNA from human remains. Is it OK to dig up Gregor Mendel and sequence his genome (yes, that really happened last year)? How far back in time is it acceptable to do this kind of research? And who gets to decide this stuff anyway? Sally Le Page will be sitting down with Turi King, Professor of Public Engagement and Genetics at University of Leicester, who was one of the team who carried out the genetic analysis on the remains of King Richard the Third, to mull it all over.
For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to leave us a rating in the Spotify app or review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.
This episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by me, Kat Arney, with additional research and scripting by Holly McHugh. It’s a First Create the Media production for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies dedicated to promoting research, training, teaching and public engagement in all areas of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, and our producers are Sally Le Page and Emma Werner. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.
