The list of famous people whose genome has been sequenced is going to get a new member, more precisely a royal one. After the discovery of the remains of his body under a car park, scientists of the University of Leicester are going to sequence the genome of King Richard III, who died in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The project has the purpose to learn more about King's ancestry and health, and to provide genetic data useful for historians, researchers and the public.
In addition to the scientific aspects, these types of initiatives also represent good strategies to attract the attention of the media on the institution involved in the sequencing and, why not, to increase the possibility to raise funds for other projects with a deeper scientific impact.
In general, the choice to sequence the genome of famous historic characters could be a good initiative to acknowledge what they did for their country and a great opportunity of visibility for the institution performing the study. Here is the link to the Reuters news release.
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