Maarten Larmuseau

Maarten H. D. Larmuseau
Born (1983-01-03) 3 January 1983
Zottegem, Belgium
Alma materKU Leuven
Known forStudies on historical non-paternity, citizen science in genetics, and ethical implications of genetic testing
Scientific career
FieldsGenetic genealogy, Population genetics, Evolutionary biology
InstitutionsKU Leuven, University of Antwerp

Maarten H. D. Larmuseau (born 3 January 1983, Zottegem) is a Belgian biologist and genetic genealogist. He is a professor in genetic genealogy at KU Leuven and a guest professor in heritage studies at the University of Antwerp. His research combines population genetics, genealogy, and history to study the impact of biological relationships in human society. In 2025, the journal Science described him as the "paternity detective" for his pioneering work on historical extra-paternity rates and the use of DNA in reconstructing family histories.[1]

Career

Larmuseau studied biology and genetics at KU Leuven, where he later joined the Centre for Human Genetics at the faculty of medicine. He leads the Laboratory of Human Genetic Genealogy and collaborates with the heritage sciences programme at the University of Antwerp. At KU Leuven he is also the director of LIGAS - KU Leuven Institute of Genetics and Society.[2]

Research

Larmuseau's research integrates genetic data with genealogical and historical sources to explore human relatedness over long timescales. His work has examined:

  • "Historical non-paternity rates" in European populations, using Y chromosome data and genealogical records to show that rates of extra-pair paternity have remained low (around 1–2%) over several centuries.[3][4] His studies on extra-paternity have been featured internationally, including in Science [1] and The New York Times.[5]
  • As a genetic genealogist, Larmuseau has contributed to several high-profile studies involving the genomic reconstruction or authentication of historical figures. He confirmed the identity of the remains of Albert I of Belgium,[6] and disproved the attribution of famous relics believed to belong to Henry IV of France and Louis XVI of France.[7] He also contributed to the genomic study of Ludwig van Beethoven, in which DNA from preserved hair locks revealed information about the composer's ancestry and health. Through Y chromosome analysis, Larmuseau and colleagues identified living relatives and uncovered a case of historical illegitimacy (non-paternity) in Beethoven's direct paternal line.[8][9]
  • The citizen science project MamaMito, involving thousands of participants tracing their maternal lineages through mitochondrial DNA analysis and archival research.[1]
  • Ancient DNA and population structure in medieval Europe to detect kinship patterns within Merovingian cemeteries and medieval cemeteries in Belgium.[10][11]

He also explores the ethical and societal implications of direct-to-consumer genetic testing and unexpected DNA revelations.[12][13][14]

Selected publications

  • Larmuseau, M. H. D. et al. (2019). "A historical-genetic reconstruction of human extra-pair paternity." Current Biology, 29(23): 4102–4107.
  • Larmuseau, M.H.D. et al. (2016). "Cuckolded fathers rare in human populations." Trends in Ecology & Ecolution, 31(5): 327-329.
  • Sasso, S. et al. (2024). "Capturing the fusion of two ancestries and kinship structures in Merovingian Flanders. PNAS, 121(27): e2406734121.
  • Beneker, O. et al. (2025). "Urbanization and genetic homogenization in the medieval Low Countries revealed through a ten-century paleogenomic study of the city of Sint-Truiden. Genome Biology, 26: 127.

References

  1. ^ a b c Curry, Andrew (14 March 2025). "Paternity detective". Science. pp. Vol 387, Issue 6738. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ^ "Leuven Institute for Genetics and Society (LIGAS)". KU Leuven. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  3. ^ Larmuseau, Maarten H. D. (2019). "A historical-genetic reconstruction of human extra-pair paternity". Current Biology. 29 (23): 4102–4107. Bibcode:2019CBio...29E4102L. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.075. PMID 31735678.
  4. ^ Larmuseau, Maarten H. D.; Matthijs, Koen; Wenseleers, Tom (2016-05-01). "Cuckolded Fathers Rare in Human Populations". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 31 (5): 327–329. Bibcode:2016TEcoE..31..327L. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.03.004. ISSN 0169-5347. PMID 27107336.
  5. ^ Zimmer, Carl (7 February 2023). "Fathered by the Mailman? It's Mostly an Urban Legend". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  6. ^ Larmuseau, Maarten H. D. (2016). "Genetic identification of the remains of King Albert I of Belgium". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 21: 136–140. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.12.009. PMID 26774098.
  7. ^ Larmuseau, Maarten H. D. (2013). "Genetic analysis of the preserved head attributed to King Henry IV of France". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 7 (3): 386–391. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2012.11.005. PMID 23273817.
  8. ^ Begg, Tristan James Alexander; Schmidt, Axel; Kocher, Arthur; Larmuseau, Maarten H. D.; Runfeldt, Göran; Maier, Paul Andrew; Wilson, John D.; Barquera, Rodrigo; Maj, Carlo; Szolek, András; Sager, Michael; Clayton, Stephen; Peltzer, Alexander; Hui, Ruoyun; Ronge, Julia (2023-04-24). "Genomic analyses of hair from Ludwig van Beethoven". Current Biology. 33 (8): 1431–1447.e22. Bibcode:2023CBio...33E1431B. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.041. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 36958333.
  9. ^ "Quote of the day". The New York Times. 23 March 2023.
  10. ^ Beneker, Owyn; Molinaro, Ludovica; Guellil, Meriam; Sasso, Stefania; Kabral, Helja; Bonucci, Biancamaria; Gaens, Noah; D'Atanasio, Eugenia; Mezzavilla, Massimo; Delbrassine, Hélios; Braet, Linde; Lambert, Bart; Deckers, Pieterjan; Biagini, Simone Andrea; Hui, Ruoyun (2025-05-20). "Urbanization and genetic homogenization in the medieval Low Countries revealed through a ten-century paleogenomic study of the city of Sint-Truiden". Genome Biology. 26 (1): 127. doi:10.1186/s13059-025-03580-z. ISSN 1474-760X. PMC 12090598. PMID 40390081.
  11. ^ Sasso, Stefania; Saag, Lehti; Spros, Rachèl; Beneker, Owyn; Molinaro, Ludovica; Biagini, Simone A.; Lehouck, Alexander; Van De Vijver, Katrien; Hui, Ruoyun; D'Atanasio, Eugenia; Kushniarevich, Alena; Kabral, Helja; Metspalu, Ene; Guellil, Meriam; Ali, Muhammad Q. A. (2024-07-02). "Capturing the fusion of two ancestries and kinship structures in Merovingian Flanders". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (27) e2406734121. Bibcode:2024PNAS..12106734S. doi:10.1073/pnas.2406734121. PMC 11228521. PMID 38913897.
  12. ^ Moray, Nathalie; Pink, Katherina E.; Borry, Pascal; Larmuseau, Maarten Hd (June 2017). "Paternity testing under the cloak of recreational genetics". European Journal of Human Genetics. 25 (6): 768–770. doi:10.1038/ejhg.2017.31. ISSN 1476-5438. PMC 5477360. PMID 28272533.
  13. ^ McKibbin, Kyle; Shabani, Mahsa; Larmuseau, Maarten H. D. (March 2023). "From collected stamps to hair locks: ethical and legal implications of testing DNA found on privately owned family artifacts". Human Genetics. 142 (3): 331–341. doi:10.1007/s00439-022-02508-y. hdl:1854/LU-01GK7MCXNTPSYRJX8QAVFXV6TQ. ISSN 1432-1203. PMID 36456648.
  14. ^ Larmuseau, Maarten H. D. (3 December 2018). "Growth of ancestry DNA testing risks huge increase in paternity issues". Nature Human Behaviour. 3 (1): 5. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0499-9. PMID 30932048. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
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