Forensic scientists in Spain identify remains of Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes


Forensic scientists in Madrid believe they have found the tomb of famed author Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes, who wrote The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, was buried in 1616, but his coffin was lost.
The researchers used radar, infrared cameras, and 3D scanners to locate the burial crypt below Madrid's Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians, and found bones believed to be those of Cervantes and his wife.
The remains aren't in good condition, but the scientists believe they are Cervantes', since the location matches historical accounts of Cervantes' death. The scientists hope that DNA analysis will allow them to separate Cervantes' remains from the others found at the site.
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.
At a press conference Tuesday, investigator Luis Avial said that Cervantes will be reburied in a new tomb in the convent. "Cervantes asked to be buried there, and there he should stay," Avial said. The crypt will be opened for public visits next year, to mark the 400th anniversary of the author's death.
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
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'
Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggests
Speed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Pharaoh's tomb discovered for first time in 100 years
Speed Read This is the first burial chamber of a pharaoh unearthed since Tutankhamun in 1922
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists report optimal method to boil an egg
Speed Read It takes two temperatures of water to achieve and no fancy gadgets
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US