Researchers have analyzed a sample of DNA believed to belong to Adolf Hitler, which they say reveals the dictator of Nazi Germany had a genetic marker for a rare disorder that can delay puberty, according to a new documentary.
The research, which took more than four years to complete, was led by geneticist Turi King, a professor at the UK’s University of Bath who is known for identifying the remains of King Richard III. King said she verified that a piece of material taken from a couch in the bunker where Hitler shot himself in 1945 was soaked in the dictator’s blood by comparing a DNA sample recovered from the blood with a confirmed relative of Hitler’s.
In addition to suggesting the possibility that Hitler had a hormone-disrupting congenital condition called Kallmann syndrome, the documentary examined rumors that the dictator had Jewish ancestry and looked at whether he had a genetic predisposition to certain mental health conditions. Called “Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator,” the documentary premieres Saturday on Channel 4 in the UK.
However, the findings shared in the documentary haven’t been reviewed by other scientists in the field or published in a scientific journal, making it hard for experts not involved in the project to evaluate the validity of its assertions.
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