Death from too much alcohol! British scientists at the University of Cambridge came to this conclusion after examining a lock of hair belonging to Beethoven, who had moved to Vienna. DNA expert Prof. Walther Parson from Tyrol explains how such research results are possible.
The abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid is DNA. This, in turn, is a kind of biological manual that can be found in every human cell.
Experts can also scrutinize DNA samples hundreds of years old and gain insights thanks to scientific standards. A star in this field is the Tyrolean professor Walther Parson (see interview below). His expertise is also requested by the FBI, among others.
Tristan Begg, a former genome researcher at the University of Cambridge in England, and his team have now reached a milestone, according to the English magazine Nature. The scientists extracted genetic material from preserved locks of hair said to belong to Beethoven.
The Viennese Ludwig van Beethoven lived from 1770 to 1827. The search for genetic traces now clearly indicates that liver diseases, including hepatitis caused by excessive alcohol consumption, can be identified as the cause of death of the musical genius. According to Begg, extracted DNA showed that Beethoven had two copies of a specific variant of the gene PNPLA3, which is linked to cirrhosis of the liver. It remains unclear why Beethoven was deaf – but who knows for how long.
“crown”: Professor, how is such a hair examined?
Walter Parson: The colleagues were able to decipher the entire DNA sequence, ie the entire genome, from the approximately 200-year-old hair shafts. A great technical achievement. The methodology originates from archaeogenetics, for example the DNA study of Neanderthals, which has been specifically adapted for hair shafts.
Does the action take place like in the American TV series “CSI”?
The images correspond approximately to reality, but there are big differences in the details.
How long does it take to draw conclusions from a hair shaft exam?
The analysis must have taken months.
How big should a DNA sample be?
For two decades, amounts of tissue that cannot be seen with the naked eye will suffice.
What was the oldest DNA sample you worked with?
The oldest genetic identification is that of King Richard III, who died in 1485, and was identified using DNA from people living today. The oldest DNA sample we analyzed is about 8,000 years old.
Hand on heart, whose DNA would you like to investigate further?
I am interested in the technological aspects of DNA analysis, which we are constantly trying to improve. This is to fight crime. I’m not passionate about the samples we’re investigating.
Source: Krone
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