If you've ever read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, watched the Tom Hanks-led Robert Langdon movie series, or the 2021 prequel, you'll know Leonardo da Vinci was a pretty clever cookie.
Known for painting the Mona Lisa, inventing flying machines long before planes took to the skies, and the self-propelled cart ahead of the car, he did a lot during his 67 years.
Although IQ tests weren't around in da Vinci's time, some think he could be the smartest person who ever lived.
Still, he left behind many mysteries in his notebooks and works, namely in the Vitruvian Man.
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This 1490 drawing of a naked man superimposed with his arms and legs apart inside a circle and square is said to be the 'perfect' depiction of the human form through mathematics.
Many have tried to crack this da Vinci code (not like the book) for centuries, but one man thinks he has.
Boasting a degree in genetics and a dentistry qualification, Dr Rory Mac Sweeney is sure he's cracked the code. Quick, someone get him on the phone for a movie reboot.
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As reported by the Mail Online and published in the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, Sweeney is convinced he knows how da Vinci managed to place the Vitruvian Man perfectly inside a circle and square.
According to Sweeney, unlocking da Vinci's code is all linked to an equilateral triangle that features between his legs and is mentioned in the manuscript notes that accompany The Vitruvian Man.
Sweeney suggests it's not just a random shape, but is directly tied to a blueprint we find in nature. It's all related to Bonwill's triangle, which is an imaginary equilateral triangle that’s also tied to the optimal performance of the human jaw in dental anatomy. Sweeney maintains that da Vinci's vast knowledge of the human body means he figured this out centuries ahead of modern dental science.
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This ratio of the square and circle in the drawing is 1.64, which is almost identical to the 'special blueprint number' of 1.6333.
This appears time and again in nature when building the strongest structures.
Thinking he's cracked it, Sweeney explained: "We've all been looking for a complicated answer, but the key was in Leonardo's own words.
He was pointing to this triangle all along.
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"What's truly amazing is that this one drawing encapsulates a universal rule of design. It shows that the same 'blueprint' nature uses for efficient design is at work in the ideal human body."
Saying The Vitruvian Man is much more than a work of art, Sweeney concluded: "Leonardo knew, or sensed, that our bodies are built with the same mathematical elegance as the universe around us."
Even though this might not be as exciting as a dash across Europe, looking for the Holy Grail, hidden inside The Last Supper, as a Catholic cult chases after you, it's still interesting for da Vinci fanatics.