William Atkins
Sunday, 23 November 2008 21:17
Science -
Biology
Page 2 of 3
Then Swedish genetics expert Marie Allen (professor at the Genetics and Pathology Department, Uppsala University) took DNA from a vertebrae, tooth, and femur bone of the remains, and compared them with four hairs taken from the 1518 book “Calendarium Romanum Magnum” (authored by Johannes Stoeffler and owned by Copernicus) and kept at Rudbeck Laboratory of the Genetics and Pathology Department of Uppsala University.
Allen stated,
"We tested pieces of bone and tooth from the site in Poland with the hair found at Uppsala. The pieces were tested twice, once in Sweden and once in Poland to ensure the accuracy of the results. The data collected confirmed that the skeleton found in 2005 is that of Copernicus.” [The Local: “
Swedish DNA tests confirm remains of Copernicus.”]
On November 21, 2008, a confirmation was made that this skull is, indeed, from Polish mathematician, astronomer, scholar, and Catholic cleric Nicholas Copernicus (1473—1543).
Dr. Allen states,
"We collected four hairs and two of them are from the same individual as the bones.” [Associated Press]
To see the face of Copernicus recreated from the skull, look at
The Local article, as mentioned above.
The AP article continues,
“The findings could put an end to centuries of speculation about the exact resting spot of Copernicus, a priest and astronomer whose theories identified the Sun, not the Earth, as the center of the universe.”
The article states that the research team found that the skull contains a broken nose that is very similar to features found in a portrait painted by Copernicus himself.
Page three discusses the ideas of Copernicus with respect to religious and scientific thought during the 16th century.
