"Beethoven's DNA reveals family secrets and medical mysteries"

Researchers have extracted DNA from strands of Beethoven's hair to study his health problems and hearing loss. They found a genetic risk for liver disease, a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection, and chronic drinking, which were probably enough to cause the liver failure that killed him. The study also revealed a discrepancy in the Y chromosomes of living members of the extended Beethoven family, suggesting an extramarital relationship in the composer's family tree. However, the mystery of what caused Beethoven's hearing loss remains unsolved.