Strands of Beethoven’s Hair Tell Scientists How He Died

Ludwig van Beethoven may have achieved a kind of immortality with his music, but the composer himself was all too mortal. He only lived to age 56. To learn more about why Beethoven died so young, scientists at the University of Cambridge examined strands of his hair, which had been kept in a German museum. They found the source of some of Beethoven’s health problems, including genetic factors for liver disease.