It now seems probable that the artist, inventor and all-round genius Leonardo da Vinci is of Middle Eastern origin.

A reconstruction of his left index fingerprint - the result of three years of research - shows a pattern that’s common in 60 per cent of the Arabic population.

This exciting research could also solve the problem of disputed paintings and manuscripts, according to Luigi Capasso, director of the Anthropology Research Institute at Chieti University in central Italy.

As Leonardo often ate while working, Capasso hopes his fingerprints could include traces of the food he ate the night before he worked, as well as his DNA. All these factors could help answer questions about his origins.

Other experts say that determining ancestry based on fingerprints is an inexact science, but there is also some supporting evidence that his mother was a slave who came to Tuscany from Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey.

Alessandro Vezzosi, a Leonardo expert and director the artist’s museum in his hometown of Vinci, said: “This coincides with documented indications that she was Oriental, at least from the Mediterranean area, not a peasant of Vinci.”

Vezzosi, who manages the archive of documents Capasso used for his study, warned that the origin of Leonardo’s mother cannot be determined with any certainty until a contract documenting her sale is found.

“Still, her name was Caterina, the most common name among slaves in Tuscany, and we have no certain elements about her,” he said.

The other recent Leonardo finding is the possible reason for the famous smile on the Mona Lisa.

Apparently she was either pregnant, or a new mother, according to research on how her clothing was painted (click here for full article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5384822.stm.)

Thes new findings prove one thing - da Vinci is still intriguing us after all these centuries.