Scientists sequence Beethoven's DNA, 200 years after his death
Scientists announced Wednesday that they had sequenced the genome of legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven, nearly two centuries after his death. His DNA was able to provide valuable insights into the composer's lifelong health problems and ultimate demise.
The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, were made possible after a team of international researchers pulled DNA from locks of Beethoven's hair. Using these strands, they were able to sequence the composer's entire genome.
Beethoven is perhaps best known for his deafness, which began in his 20s. While researchers were unable to pinpoint the cause of his hearing loss, "they did find a genetic risk for liver disease, plus a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection in the last months of his life," The Associated Press reported. It is widely believed that Beethoven died from liver failure attributed to alcoholism, but these new revelations about his health have helped unlock a new piece of the puzzle.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The composer was besieged by many other health problems in the lead-up to his death, which occurred 196 years ago this Sunday, on March 26, 1827. While the hepatitis B infection only directly afflicted him during the last years of his life, it is possible that he could have been infected with the disease at birth, Arthur Kocher, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, told The New York Times.
The Times also noted the study revealed another twist about Beethoven: he was genetically unrelated to others in his family, with his Y chromosome DNA being different than five living people today who share a common ancestor.
"It isn't so much the specific questions they answered as the fact that they ruled a few things out, searched for others, and made some truly original findings," Robert C. Green, a geneticist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told The Washington Post.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - pointed commentary, Haiti in trouble, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
Why the Y chromosome is vanishing and what this means for the future
The Explainer A new sex gene could be on the evolution pipeline
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
An amphibian that produces milk?
speed read Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why February 29 is a leap day
Speed Read It all started with Julius Caesar
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US spacecraft nearing first private lunar landing
Speed Read If touchdown is successful, it will be the first U.S. mission to the moon since 1972
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Scientists create 'meaty' rice for eco-friendly protein
Speed Read Korean scientists have invented a new hybrid food, consisting of beef muscle and fat cells grown inside grains of rice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
14 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The most and least environmentally friendly countries of 2023
In Depth Which nations are making strides, and which are missing the mark?
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published