• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Hidden Detail in Crotch Solves 500-Year-Old Leonardo Da Vinci Mystery : ScienceAlert todayheadline

July 18, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Vesuvian Man
3
SHARES
7
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian polymath who painted the Mona Lisa, had a sophisticated geometric understanding way ahead of his time.

To draw the Vitruvian Man in 1490 – an illustration of the ‘ideal’ human body – the Renaissance man may have relied on a mathematical ratio not formally established until the 19th century.

It’s one of the most iconic images of all time, and yet for more than 500 years, no one could figure out why da Vinci chose such specific proportions for the arms and legs.

A London dentist thinks he’s solved the mystery at last.

Related: Four Ways Leonardo Da Vinci Was Well Ahead of His Time

Rory Mac Sweeney has found a crucial hidden detail, tucked in the Vitruvian Man’s crotch: an equilateral triangle that he thinks may explain “one of the most analyzed yet cryptic works in art history.”

The Vitruvian Man is partly inspired by the writings of Roman architect Vitruvius, who argued that the perfect human body should fit inside a circle and square.

Da Vinci’s drawing uses a square to precisely contain a ‘cruciform pose’, with arms outstretched and legs in. The circle, meanwhile, encompasses a posture where the arms are raised and the legs are spread.

The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)

A popular explanation is that da Vinci chose the Vitruvian Man’s proportions based on the Golden Ratio Theory, but the measurements don’t quite match up.

According to Mac Sweeney, “the solution to this geometric mystery has been hiding in plain sight”.

“If you open your legs… and raise your hands enough that your extended fingers touch the line of the top of your head… the space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle,” da Vinci wrote in his notes for the Vitruvian Man.

When Mac Sweeney did the math on this triangle, he found that the spread of the man’s feet and the height of his navel created a ratio of around 1.64 to 1.65.

vitruvian man triangle
The green equilateral triangle extending from the Vitruvian Man’s crotch down to his feet. (Upscaled version of image from Mac Sweeney, J. Math. Arts, 2025)

That’s very close to the tetrahedral ratio of 1.633 – a uniquely balanced geometric form, officially established in 1917.

The ratio is used to establish the optimum way to pack spheres. If four spheres are connected as closely as possible into a pyramid shape, for instance, then the height to base ratio from their centers will be 1.633.

Vector Equilibrium
A perfectly balanced structure of tetrahedrons. (Mac Sweeney, J. Math. Arts, 2025)

Perhaps Mac Sweeney recognized the significance of that number because of a similar triangular principle used in dentistry.

Imagined on the human jaw, Bonwill’s triangle dictates the optimal positioning for jaw function, used since 1864. Its ratio is also 1.633.

Mac Sweeney doesn’t think that’s a coincidence.

Jaw Triangle
Bonwill’s triangle dictates optimal mechanical function of the human jaw. (Mac Sweeney, J. Math. Arts, 2025)

Similar to minerals, crystals, and other biological packing systems found in nature, Mac Sweeney thinks the human jaw naturally organizes around tetrahedral geometries, which maximize mechanical efficiency.

If the tetrahedral ratio is repeated around our bodies, Mac Sweeney thinks that is because “human anatomy has evolved according to geometric principles that govern optimal spatial organization throughout the universe.”

If Mac Sweeney is right, Da Vinci may have stumbled across a universal principle while drawing the Vitruvian Man.

“The same geometric relationships that appear in optimal crystal structures, biological architectures, and Fuller’s coordinate systems seem to be encoded in human proportions,” writes Mac Sweeney, “suggesting that Leonardo intuited fundamental truths about the mathematical nature of reality itself.”

Whether other scientists agree with Mac Sweeney remains to be seen, but the fact that da Vinci mentioned the equilateral triangle in his notes suggests that what lies between the Vitruvian man’s legs is important.

The study was published in the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts.

Tags: MSFT Content
Previous Post

Spending cut package stalls as House GOP lawmakers seek to show support for ‘transparency’ in Epstein case

Next Post

‘They’re either having an affair or just shy’: The comments that busted Astronomer CEO’s affair at Coldplay concert todayheadline

Related Posts

vaccine

A Routine Vaccine May Lower Dementia Risk by as Much as 20% : ScienceAlert todayheadline

August 8, 2025
3

Transforming Atmospheric Science with Insights into Gas Dynamics todayheadline

August 8, 2025
6
Next Post
ET logo

'They’re either having an affair or just shy': The comments that busted Astronomer CEO's affair at Coldplay concert todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner's officer

Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner’s officer

August 8, 2025

DOJ doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to $50M

August 8, 2025
Marcos vows stronger Asean leadership in 2026 amid emerging challenges

Marcos vows stronger Asean leadership in 2026 amid emerging challenges

August 8, 2025
UK homelessness minister resigns over claim she evicted tenants, hiked rent

UK homelessness minister resigns over claim she evicted tenants, hiked rent

August 8, 2025

Recent News

Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner's officer

Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner’s officer

August 8, 2025
5

DOJ doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to $50M

August 8, 2025
4
Marcos vows stronger Asean leadership in 2026 amid emerging challenges

Marcos vows stronger Asean leadership in 2026 amid emerging challenges

August 8, 2025
3
UK homelessness minister resigns over claim she evicted tenants, hiked rent

UK homelessness minister resigns over claim she evicted tenants, hiked rent

August 8, 2025
4

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner's officer

Three more victims of 9/11 identified by New York coroner’s officer

August 8, 2025

DOJ doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to $50M

August 8, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co