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Home > Beethoven’s Hair

Beethoven’s Hair [1]

Fiction [2]
4.5.23

In a recent New York Times article, reporter Gina Kolata writes about a series of medical discoveries and family secrets surrounding eighteenth-century German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. An international group of researchers published a paper last month after DNA analysis of what were known to be strands of Beethoven’s hair. Their report debunks many long-held myths about the composer including his cause of death, how he lost his hearing, and his living descendants. Inspired by this scientific and historical drama, write a story in which a scientific discovery reveals intimate secrets about a famous person. With the steady rise of genetic research being conducted, consider the intersection between science and personal history.


Source URL:https://www.pw.org/content/beethovens_hair

Links
[1] https://www.pw.org/content/beethovens_hair [2] https://www.pw.org/genre/fiction