DNA cracks centuries-old murder mystery involving one of history’s most famous families - New York Post

What the report says

The New York Post reported that researchers say DNA evidence has helped resolve a long-running historical dispute over whether two members of the Medici family died from illness or foul play. A study published in iScience examined skeletal remains linked to Giovanni de’ Medici and Francesco de’ Medici, the former Grand Duke of Tuscany, and found genetic evidence consistent with malaria infections rather than poisoning.

According to the report, Yale researchers worked with paleopathologists from the University of Pisa to test rib samples from remains kept in the Medici Chapels in Florence. The team detected Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes the most lethal form of malaria, in Giovanni’s remains, and found evidence of another malaria strain in Francesco’s. The findings build on earlier University of Pisa work that had suggested malaria based on historical symptoms and prior testing, but the new analysis is described as a genetic confirmation.

The case has drawn attention because the Medici dynasty was central to Renaissance Florence and European politics, with family members tied to banking, papal power and royal courts. That prominence helped sustain theories that Francesco, in particular, might have been poisoned. The researchers cited in the Post said ancient DNA methods can now clarify causes of death in historical remains and shed light on how pathogens evolved.

The report also notes that malaria was present in central Italy for centuries and remains a serious global disease today, though modern treatments are available. Beyond addressing a Medici mystery, the study may contribute to broader research on the historical spread of malaria parasites.