Discovery reports that scientists have finally identified the body of Nicolaus Copernicus. He was buried in an anonymous grave below a Polish cathedral. The team of researchers matched DNA extracted from both a tooth and a femur bone to a strand of hair found in an old book belonging to Copernicus:
Scientists knew he was one of the anonymous burials in a cathedral in Frombork, Poland, but they didn’t know which one. So they used radar to scan all the bodies to find one about 60 to 70 years old, the astronomer’s age when he died. The DNA evidence confirms that they got the right body.
The 16th century priest and astronomer wasn't famous in his own day so he didn't warrant a marked grave. In fact, he didn't publish his "heliocentric treatise
De revolutionibus until the year of his death for fear of persecution."
The image above is a digital facial reconstruction -- the scientists sent Copernicus' skull to a crime lab. The face resembles portraits of the man, including a broken nose and scar above the left eye.