The BBC has an interesting article on the accuracy of da Vinci’s work:
According to Peter Abrahams, professor of clinical anatomy at Warwick University in the UK, Leonardo’s image is as accurate as anything that can be produced by scientific artists working today.
“If you actually know your anatomy, you can see all the tiny little holes that are in the skull,” says Prof Abrahams.
“Those are absolutely anatomically correct. Leonardo was a meticulous observer, and a meticulous experimental scientist. He drew what he saw, and he had the ability to draw what he saw absolutely perfectly.”
You can’t help but think what would have happened if da Vinci had been born later on and had access to the technology we have today. How much further his research would go if he had the aid of a computer and a more organized scientific community? Or would bureaucracy and politics have slowed him down?