He began the conquista and while there is little doubt about the impact of Christopher Columbus’s actions there was real doubt about his own origins and his final resting place.

Spanish-led research team, which includes Italians, Americans and Germans, sampled DNA from the known remains from Columbus’ brother and son, and then compared them to fragments attributed to Columbus in Seville.

Apparently there was a debate as to who had the remains of the real Cris Colon, Spain or the Dominican Republic. While no official announcement has been made, it looks like the remains in Sevilla are the real deal. The alleged remains that are in the Dominican Republic have not been tested.

There are also DNA tests happening to find out the roots of Christopher Columbus. Europeans with the last name Columbo are getting the inside of their cheeks swabbed to see if there is any connection between them and the man who thought he had found “Indians”. Of the 250 requests for DNA samples, 16 positive responses have been received. Scientists are hoping to have results by May which marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus.

Via / Yahoo! News