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When the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo was alive, he became very well known for causing a stir among the authorities of the Catholic Church who had for centuries taught that the Earth was the center of the universe. Throughout his life, Galileo insisted on his theory that the Sun was in fact the center of the universe, and that the Earth revolved around it, not vice versa as previously thought. After his death, when his theory was proved to be true, Galileo was revered as one of the greatest Italian scientists of all time. Once declared a heretic of the Catholic Church, Galileo now rests in a tomb in the famous Basilica of the Holy Cross in Florence, Italy.

Now, Italian researchers are petitioning the Church for permission to exhume his body to perform advanced DNA testing that could shed light on the type or cause of blindness that affected Galileo. These researchers, led by Prof. Paulo Galluzzi, also want to confirm if the woman whose body shares Galileo’s tomb is indeed his daughter, Sister Marie Celeste. The rector of this basilica has so far rejected Galluzi and his team’s request, deeming it disrespectful of the dead and being disrespectful of the basilica itself.

It seems that, even 360 years after his death, Galileo is once again at the center of a debate between science and the Catholic Church.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 7:04 pm and is filed under Home Paternity Tests. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.