The famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven had his DNA recovered from locks of hair. The work was carried out by a team of more than 30 scientists, who carried out the genome sequencing (set of genes in DNA).
From the analysis, they realized that the composer had a predisposition to the development of liver diseases, in addition to curious facts about his family. Learn more about the curiosities involving the analysis of the Beethoven's DNA Next:
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What does Beethoven's DNA reveal about the composer's life?
Beethoven was one of the most famous composers born in the 18th century and is still studied today. With a research on his DNA, scientists discovered that he had a genetic propensity for the development of liver diseases.
The probable cause of Beethoven's death, according to historians, would be a hepatitis B infection, combined with his alcohol consumption and his predisposition to liver diseases, culminated in the injury and death of the composer.
Partnership between world laboratories
The research took place in partnership with scientists from England and Germany, with a focus on discovering information about Beethoven's life from his DNA. The analyzes revealed some curious facts about his family life, indicating that some of his relatives could have been the result of relationships outside of marriage.
The main suspicion is that his father, Johann van Beethoven, was not his grandfather's biological son, with the absence of a baptismal record strengthening the theory.
Locks of hair revealed the DNA
In total, the scientists analyzed 8 locks of hair. Of these, 3 did not truly belong to the composer, with only 5 being studied. Probable lead poisoning was detected based on studies with these locks of hair.
Beethoven went deaf
Around his 20s, Beethoven began to show signs of deafness. Thanks to analyzes of his DNA, it was possible to rule out the theory that his deafness had a genetic basis, when scientists realized that some locks of hair belonged to a woman.
The leader of the research was the geneticist Tristan Begg, from the University of Cambridge, who also discovered intestinal problems as another health problem of the German composer.
