Modern Mysteries

'Mona Lisa' skeleton due for DNA testing

By T.K. Randall
August 10, 2013 ·  14 comments

Image Credit: Leonardo da Vinci Her smile is well known all over the world but her identity has remained something of a mystery. For years researchers have been attempting to find the answer through a combination of historical research, archaeological excavations and a plethora of scientific testing procedures. The latest candidate lies in a Florentine family tomb within a crypt at the Basilica della Santissima Annuziata.

"Right now we are carrying out carbon-14 tests on three of the eight skeletons found in St. Ursula, which could be the age Lisa Gherardini was when she died," said Silvano Vinceti, head of Italy's national committee for cultural heritage. "The carbon-14 test will tell us which of the three dates back to the 1500s. Only then will we know which skeleton to do the final DNA test on."[!gad]Her smile is well known all over the world but her identity has remained something of a mystery. For years researchers have been attempting to find the answer through a combination of historical research, archaeological excavations and a plethora of scientific testing procedures. The latest candidate lies in a Florentine family tomb within a crypt at the Basilica della Santissima Annuziata.

"Right now we are carrying out carbon-14 tests on three of the eight skeletons found in St. Ursula, which could be the age Lisa Gherardini was when she died," said Silvano Vinceti, head of Italy's national committee for cultural heritage. "The carbon-14 test will tell us which of the three dates back to the 1500s. Only then will we know which skeleton to do the final DNA test on."

Source: NBC News | Comments (14)

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