DNA study sets out to establish true origins of Christopher Columbus

Was the explorer from Italy, Spain, Portugal or elsewhere? Researchers hope to find out once and for all

Spanish researchers have launched a new attempt to finally settle the dispute over the true origins of Christopher Columbus after various theories have claimed the explorer hailed from Portugal or Spain, rather than Italy as most scholars agree.

There is no doubt on our part [about his Italian origin], but we can provide objective data that can ... close a series of existing theories," said Jose Antonio Lorente, the lead scientist of the DNA study at the University of Granada.