Scientists have discovered a new type of fungus of the genus Blastobotrys on the famous self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. As Forbes reports, unlike mold, these fungi colonize dry substances such as house dust or paintings..

A new look was found on a self-portrait by the artist, which was painted in 1515. Scientists named him after da Vinci, Blastobotrys davincii, as he was not only a great artist, but also a keen naturalist and geologist..

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More than 10 thousand personal notes of da Vinci have survived to this day, most of which date from the period between 1470 and 1519.. Some of them contain descriptions of rocks that the artist recorded during his travels in Tuscany, Romagna and the Alps.. He also oversaw the construction of several irrigation canals.. The locals knew about da Vinci's passion for fossils, so they brought him bags of shells, on which he sketched..

He was one of the first naturalists to understand the origin of sedimentary rocks and realized that fossils are the fossilized remains of once living organisms.. He was the first to understand that the rocks that make up the mountains were once submerged in the sea and then lifted by tectonic forces..

Da Vinci studied rocks and rocks not only out of personal curiosity, but also in order to improve his paintings.. The most ancient paintings of the artist were written in 1471, when he was only 21 years old..

They depict a view of the Arno Valley near Florence, where the artist was born.. Horizontal sediment layers and vertical fissures that precisely cross rocky cliffs create a three-dimensional effect, resulting in an almost photo-realistic landscape..

Previously, scientists have studied the works written by Leonardo da Vinci, on the subject of which microbiota prevails on them.. As a result, the researchers found what they did not expect: bacteria and human DNA.