Many historians have been fascinated by the idea that Columbus might have hidden his Jewish heritage to avoid persecution by Spain's Catholic monarchs.

DNA from bones said to belong to the explorer were analyzed by forensic scientists to confirm his identity and where he came from.

In 2003, José Antonio Lorente, professor of forensic medicine at Granada University, and the historian Marcial Castro, exhumed what were believed to the remains of Columbus from Seville cathedral to take DNA samples. They also took DNA from the bones of his son, Hernando, and brother, Diego.