June research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed

Nature Communications, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72566-7.

How did Botticelli’s model really die?

One of the most famous works of 15th century painter Sandro Botticelli birth of venusDepiction of a naked goddess, newborn, standing in a giant scallop shell. The painting’s model (disputed by some historians) was reportedly Simonetta Vespucci (née Cattaneo), a renowned beauty of Florentine high society whom Botticelli greatly admired. He painted her five times before his untimely death at the age of 20. His open coffin was carried through the streets of Florence. The poet Poliziano called him “unrivalled” (la sans par).

It was long believed that Simonetta was suffering from tuberculosis, but in 2019, Paolo Pozzili of Queen Mary University of London and several co-authors, citing her appearance in several paintings as evidence, argued that she may have suffered from a pituitary tumor (adenoma), which gradually increased in size due to prolactin and growth hormone secretion. This could lead to sudden tumor-related fatal apoplexy.

Pozzili et al. have now expanded their analysis in a paper published in the journal Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. For example, he examined letters between Simonetta’s father-in-law, Piero Vespucci, and Lorenzo de’ Medici, which described how Simonetta had collapsed during a ball a few days before her death. Her symptoms included headaches, hallucinations, vomiting, and high fever, all of which were symptoms of a rapidly spreading pituitary tumor, according to the authors. Pozzili et al. Also think that a tumor would explain the irregular position of the eyes birth of venusThere are suggestions that the model had squint or misalignment of the eyes, which will be the subject of future research.

Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, 2026. doi:10.1002/edm2.70261.