Science Magazine Podcast: Leonardo da Vinci DNA, art omics, and ancient hunting poisons

Overview

The Science Magazine podcast explores the ambitious Leonardo da Vinci DNA project and the emergence of art omics, a cross-disciplinary approach that uses physics, microbiology, and conservation science to study historic works and their environments. It also reports new evidence of poisonous residues on microliths from a 60,000-year-old South African rock shelter, shedding light on ancient hunting technology and cognition. The episode highlights the collaborative, cross-disciplinary nature of modern archaeological science and its potential to illuminate both artistic heritage and human history.

Listeners gain a sense of how researchers sample delicate artworks, analyze biological traces without damaging artifacts, and connect material culture to wider ecological and social contexts.

Leonardo da Vinci DNA and art omics

The episode centers on the Leonardo da Vinci DNA project, an ambitious effort started in 2014 to recoverLeonardo's genetic material. Researchers discuss why Leonardo is a difficult target for ancient DNA work, including uncertainties about the location of his remains and the lack of direct descendants. They instead exploit indirect sources such as writings, sketches, and a lineage of the da Vinci family to triangulate a Y chromosome haplogroup, aiming to reconstruct broader genome features that might underlie traits such as visual acuity. The conversation explains art omics as a toolkit that goes beyond human DNA to include DNA from the organisms that interacted with Leonardo's works, such as plant DNA from a Tuscan orange tree and even malaria parasites tied to the Italian region in his era. A key point is that contamination is a major concern, but carefully chosen samples and historical documents can reduce uncertainty and date the DNA to Leonardo's milieu.

“The potential for modern contamination is much lower.” - Rich Stone

The discussion also highlights how scientists study Leonardo's perceptual abilities by reconstructing visual scenes she sketched and estimating the frames-per-second processing rate his eye might have supported. Physicists on the team reconstruct optical scenes to infer Leonardo’s visual acuity, suggesting he may have perceived motion at higher frequencies than typical humans, a finding that meshes with his celebrated pattern-recognition skills.

The segment concludes with optimism about applying these techniques to more of Leonardo’s writings and drawings while expanding art omics to other artworks and artists, always mindful of preserving the artworks and avoiding undue sampling. The field is described as a fusion of physics, chemistry, archaeology, and art history, with potential benefits for conservation science and historical insight.

Poison arrows and ancient hunting

The other story spotlights evidence of poisonous residues on microliths from Umlausana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, dated to about 60,000 years ago. Organic residue analysis using GC-MS indicates active plant toxins from the Amaryllis family, notably borne-disticia derivatives, which were used to poison arrows. The researchers explain how small microliths likely formed part of small-projection hunting gear and how poison would function to extend persistence hunting strategies by shortening tracking time after a wound. The site’s stratigraphy and dating via optical stimulated luminescence provide a reliable context for interpreting the residues as ancient hunting technologies rather than modern contamination or post-depositional artifacts.

“This is evidence of the use of plants for other things than just food and tools.” - Sven Isaacson

The conversation emphasizes that the poison components identified are characteristic of historically known plants in the Amaryllis family, and that the archaeological context suggests a sophisticated, knowledge-based use of plant-derived poisons. The team acknowledges that not every tested artifact bears residues and that more work is needed across hundreds of microliths, but the findings push back the timeline for poisonous hunting devices and hint at complex cognitive strategies in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. The discussion also notes the broader implications for understanding drug-like substances in the prehistoric world and how such residues could illuminate ancient daily practices and ecological knowledge.

Archaeomics and conservation science

Throughout the episode, the concept of archaeomics is framed as a cross-disciplinary expansion of the toolkit used by museums and conservators. The Met Museum and others are cited as examples of applying modern analytical techniques to long-standing art mysteries, such as linking pigment or protein signatures to historical preservation questions. The scientists stress collaboration across physics, chemistry, and archaeology as essential to interpreting results without compromising artworks. The podcast closes with a nod to the potential of these approaches to advance broader art-historical knowledge while preserving cultural heritage for future study.

“He would have been able to resolve frames per second at a much higher rate than people normally could distinguish.” - Rich Stone