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DNA From 1945 Bloodstain Suggests Hitler Had Kallmann Syndrome

The team authenticated the sample via a Y‑chromosome match to a living male relative.

Overview

  • Geneticist Turi King led a British team that sequenced Hitler’s DNA from a blood‑stained fragment cut from his Berlin bunker sofa in May 1945 for a Channel 4 documentary.
  • Sequencing identified a mutation in the PROK2 gene strongly associated with Kallmann syndrome, which affects pubertal development and can result in low testosterone.
  • The conclusion is consistent with a 1923 Landsberg prison medical record noting right‑sided cryptorchidism in Hitler.
  • Researchers say the genetic profile shows no evidence of a Jewish ancestor, citing concordance with markers from Hitler’s male‑line relatives.
  • Polygenic risk scores placed him in high percentiles for autism, schizophrenia and bipolar traits, as experts cautioned that such measures cannot diagnose individuals or account for his actions.