Speaking of the pitfalls of popular reporting on historical research, a Spanish documentary received much attention in October because of its claim that new genetic evidence implied that Christoper Columbus was of Jewish ancestry. Mosaic noted reasons for skepticism on historical grounds. 

Razib Khan, a geneticist, points out the flimsy biological reasoning behind the claim: Though [the documentary] showed that Columbus’s paternal and maternal lineage were compatible with Sephardi Jewish ancestry, it didn’t establish that he had clear Sephardi Jewish ancestry. . . . When it comes to famous figures, however, media outlets often elide this complexity.