Notes from a genome: What Beethoven’s DNA tells us about genetics 

Over the past decade, advances in DNA sequencing and statistical genetics have enabled us to explore the genomic makeup of historically important individuals. Previous research used strands of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair to sequence his DNA and investigate genetic contributions to his documented medical issues. Given Beethoven’s legendary status as a composer and musician, we extended this approach to musicality. This interdisciplinary effort, involving researchers from two Max Planck Institutes, served as an illustrative case to address the limitations of individual-level genetic predictions.