[Reading Science] The Suspicious Death of a Nobel Laureate Poet... The Truth Revealed by Science

Research on Nobel Literature Laureate 'Pablo Neruda's Remains
Toxic Bacterial DNA Found in Teeth
Decomposition Level 'Same' Compared to Body DNA
"Toxic Bacterial DNA Present Inside Body at Time of Death"
Research Team "Not Conclusive, Further Study Needed"

"Poetry came to me." This is a representative work of Pablo Neruda, the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. He was the greatest poet and revolutionary of the 20th century. However, the suspicion that he was actually poisoned, rather than dying of cancer in 1973 as previously believed, is growing stronger. His exact cause of death is being uncovered 50 years after his passing, with advanced genetic science playing a key role.

The international academic journal Nature reported on the 22nd (local time) that Neruda's family held a press conference in Chile on the 13th, claiming that recent genetic analysis results found evidence of poisoning. Neruda had been known to have died of prostate cancer on September 23, 1973. However, some had raised suspicions of foul play.

At the press conference, the family revealed that DNA of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can produce the deadly botulinum toxin, was found in Neruda's teeth. They added that it appeared to have been injected forcibly. In theory, pathogens in the blood can be preserved in the blood vessels at the roots of teeth when a person dies. In fact, the poisoning theory about Neruda has never ceased. In 2011, Manuel Araya, Neruda's driver, raised suspicions of poisoning, claiming that Neruda received an unscheduled injection a few hours before his death. Subsequently, the Chilean Communist Party officially alleged that Neruda was poisoned by Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.

Eventually, the Chilean court ordered the exhumation of Neruda's remains and instructed international experts to analyze them to uncover the truth. However, in 2013, experts analyzed the presence of about 2,000 chemical toxins, including arsenic, but found none. There was no investigation into biological toxins at that time.

Pablo Neruda

The court did not give up and decided to conduct a second investigation. Two years later, in 2015, a research team composed of members from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, McMaster University, and others was deployed. This team succeeded in discovering fragments of DNA from Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which produce the biological toxin botulinum toxin, in Neruda's teeth.

The research team then conducted studies to determine whether these bacterial DNA fragments had been present in the corpse since the time of death or if they had been introduced from the soil after burial, causing contamination. Finally, on the 15th, the research team's report was submitted to the judge. Due to the court's confidentiality guidelines, the contents of the report have not yet been disclosed.

However, scientists involved in the research testified to Nature that they found new evidence using advanced related technologies developed so far. The team used a cutting-edge technique called shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze the DNA of the bacteria, Neruda's DNA, and other bacteria found in the oral cavity separately, assessing the degree of degradation over time. As a result, the team concluded that the degradation levels of the botulinum bacteria DNA and Neruda's DNA were similar. In other words, the botulinum bacteria found in Neruda's corpse had been present in his body since the time of death.

Botulinum Strain

However, the research team remains cautious about drawing the final conclusion of 'poisoning.' While Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce botulinum toxin, they are also commonly found in spoiled canned food. It is possible that the bacteria arose from food that had spoiled shortly before his death rather than from an injection. The team also acknowledges that comparing DNA degradation levels cannot serve as an absolute standard to determine whether bacteria entered before or after death.

The team seeks further research. Hendrik Poinar, a professor at McMaster University and a member of the research team, explained, "We conducted the study with only a severely worn portion of the gene. We identified gene fragments of bacteria capable of producing botulinum toxin but did not find the toxin itself. Since not all Clostridium botulinum bacterial variants produce the toxin, additional research is needed to confirm the presence of the toxin."

Meanwhile, Neruda was born in 1904 and was known as a prodigious poet from a young age. He was a contemporary of the revolutionary doctor Che Guevara. He was one of the figures representing the South American intellectuals who were actively involved in social transformation at the time. After serving as a consul in Madrid and experiencing the Spanish Civil War, he joined the Communist Party and devoted himself to anti-fascist struggles. He fought against Chile's right-wing dictatorship, lived in exile, and although he had the opportunity to become president, he supported his colleague Salvador Allende in 1969. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971. When Allende's government fell in the 1973 Pinochet coup, Neruda was known to have protested from his sickbed and died of cancer.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.