The Age of Discovery has Discovered DNA

Christopher Columbus is believed by most people to be the son of a weaver in Genoa. While most people don't question the heritage of the man who stumbled across the bahamas while searching for a trade route to India, others question where Columbus really came from. A few theories include that he was born out of wedlock to a Portuguese prince or that he might have been a Jew whose parents converted to escape the Spanish Inquisition. Most theories have little evidence to support them and Columbus remains of Genoese decent in US History text books.


Now with advances in science and technology, DNA could be the answer to who Columbus really was. Genetic material was extracted from Columbus’s bones in Seville to settle a dispute about where he was buried. Since then, historians, government officials, and self-claimed relatives of Columbus of multiple nationalities have been curious to know more about his origins. To find Columbus’s true hometown, it is most logical to look for a genetic match in places where he might have lived. Hundreds of Spaniards, Italians, and even a few Frenchmen have happily swabbed their cheeks to supply cells for comparison. Could this possibly reveal the heritage of Columbus? Only time and saliva will tell.


DNA testing became popular and available to the public in the late 1980's. Mostly used for medical research, paternity identification and crime forensics, DNA testing has become very useful. Another more recent use of DNA testing is to determine susceptibility to certain diseases. These tests have become more common within society and are available for as little as $150. Although controversial and considered to be a serious ethical issue today, DNA testing has many uses such as discovery where the human race began.