Richard III - case closed after 529 years

DNA and genealogical study confirms identity of remains found in Leicester and uncovers new truths about his appearance and Plantagenet lineage. Although the false paternity means we cannot look forward in time, we can trace King Richard's Y lineage back into prehistory - Peter Forster An international research team has provides overwhelming evidence that the skeleton discovered under a car park in Leicester indeed represents the remains of King Richard III - closing what is probably the oldest forensic case solved to date. Analysis of all the available evidence confirms identity of King Richard III to the point of 99.999% (at its most conservative). The team of researchers, including geneticist Dr Peter Forster from Murray Edwards College, and led by Cambridge graduate Dr Turi King have published their findings online today Communications. The researchers collected DNA from living relatives of Richard III and analysed several genetic markers, including the complete mitochondrial genomes, inherited through the maternal line, and Y-chromosomal markers, inherited through the paternal line, from both the skeletal remains and the living relatives. While the Y-chromosomal markers differ, the mitochondrial genome shows a genetic match between the skeleton and the maternal line relatives. The former result is not unsurprising as the chances for a false-paternity event is fairly high after so many generations.