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The researchers analyzed for the first time the complete composition of the microbiome present in the works of the Renaissance author.
An international group of researchers used an innovative genomic approach to study and analyze for the first time the complete composition of the microbiome present in a series of iconic Leonardo Da Vinci drawings.
During the research, which was published this Friday in Frontiers in Microbiology, a total of seven pieces were subjected to a third-generation genomic study, known as nanopore sequencing, to sequence long fragments of DNA from the microbiome contained in the works of the Renaissance author. .
Similarly, given the fragility and uniqueness of the objects studied, the surface of the works of art was analyzed in more depth using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy, techniques considered non-invasive. .
The results of the analysis highlighted the presence of numerous fungi belonging to different genera, as well as a surprising predominance of populations of bacteria typical of the human microbiome and insects, which are suspected to have been introduced during the restoration work.
According to the lead author of the research, Guadalupe Piñar, both the bacterial and the fungal communities show a correlation with the geographic location of the drawings, which provides a sort of “bio-archive of the history of objects”, which can be used to develop new methods of storage.
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