Eighty years after his death, scientists have sequenced Adolf Hitler's DNA from a bloodstained sofa taken from the Berlin bunker where he killed himself in 1945, and the findings are extraordinary.
According to a new Channel 4 documentary, Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, the Nazi leader had Kallmann syndrome, a genetic condition that impairs sexual development and testosterone production. Now, researchers say it could explain his "almost complete devotion to politics" and lack of personal relationships.
Hidden genetic sexual disorder
The analysis also explores Hitler's ancestry, debunking claims he had Jewish roots, his DNA confirmed purely Austrian-German heritage. Researchers found possible genetic markers linked to autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, though experts stress these cannot explain or excuse his actions.
As said before, researchers examined a DNA sample from a bloodstained piece of fabric taken from the sofa where Hitler killed himself in 1945. "He could have had the most boring genome on the planet," Turi King, lead researcher on the study, says. "But he didn't."
Professor Turi King of the University of Leicester, lead researcher on the study, is also known for identifying Richard III's remains. Meanwhile, psychologist Sir Simon Baron-Cohen warns against using genetics to interpret cruelty: "You cannot see evil in a genome."
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