Not Enough DaVinci For You?

The question has long been, what is going on behind that smile?

Well, we still don't know, but thanks to researchers at Japan Acoustic Laboratory in
Tokyo, we can hear the probable voice of Mona Lisa ( Lisa Gherardini) for the first time in 500 years.

The whole process started with the length of her finger. The length of her finger allowed her height to be estimated at about 5 feet 6 inches. Then the researchers worked out the structure of her skull, the size of her bones and the volume of her nose and throat.

Knowing her bone frame I can make her voice said Dr. Matsumi Suzuki. In Mona Lisa's case, the lower part of her face is quite wide and her chin is pointed. The extra volume means a relatively low voice, while the pointed chin adds mid-pitch tones.

They were going to have her speak in Japanese, but decided against that, bringing in an Italian woman to add the necessary intonation to the voice. So what does she have to say after all this time?

I am the Mona Lisa. My true identity is shrouded in mystery.

They also recreated Leonardo DaVinci's voice, but they are not as confident in their work, as his self-portraits have him sporting a beard, which makes it more difficult to discern his structural anatomy.

Keep in mind that Dr. Suzuki has also previously created Bow-Lingual, a device which translates dog barks into words. The device was said to be 90 per cent accurate.