San Francisco museum finds 200-year-old DNA in African works

De Young’s research could improve authentication by identifying the species of trees used

de-youngA collection of Sub-Saharan African sculpture from a private US collection has undergone DNA analysis to identify the species of tree used to create the works. The process could be used to authenticate pieces and to provide scholars with more information about the cultures that made them.

The longtime African art collector Richard Scheller, a leading biochemist and an executive vice-president at the biotech corporation Genentech, is working with Lesley Bone, the chief curator at the De Young … Continue Reading ››