We’ve got Da Vinci’s prints, say experts

ANTHROPOLOGISTS in Italy say they have pieced together Leonardo da Vinci’s left index fingerprint — a discovery that could help shed light on such matters as the food the artist ate and whether his mother was of Arabic origin.

The reconstruction of the fingerprint was the result of three years of research and could also help attribute disputed paintings or manuscripts, said Luigi Capasso, director of the Anthropology Research Institute at Chieti University in central Italy.

“It adds the first touch of humanity. We knew how Leonardo saw the world and the future, but who was he? This biological information is about his being human, not being a genius,” Mr Capasso said.