Mona Lisa scans suggest she was pregnant

French and Canadian researchers using 3D technology to study Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa say the woman he painted in his 16th-century masterpiece was either pregnant or had recently given birth.

"Thanks to laser scanning we were able to uncover the very fine gauze veil Mona Lisa was wearing on her dress. This was something typical for either soon-to-be or new mothers at the time," said Michel Menu, of the French Museums' Centre for Research and Restoration in Paris. He said some art historians had already suggested she was pregnant or had just had a baby.