Hitler's DNA Sequenced, Reveals Kallmann Syndrome

Scientists have sequenced Adolf Hitler's DNA for the first time, revealing a genetic disorder that likely impaired his sexual development and contributed to his reclusive personal life, according to a new two-part Channel 4 documentary airing this weekend. The analysis, featured in "Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator," draws from a blood sample preserved on a sofa cushion from the Berlin bunker where the Nazi leader died by suicide on April 30, 1945.

The sample originated from a bloodstained piece of fabric cut from the sofa by an American officer shortly after Hitler's death. His body was burned on his orders, but the fabric ended up in a U.S. history museum. An international team, led by geneticist Professor Turi King of the University of Leicester, obtained permission to extract a small portion for testing. To verify authenticity, researchers compared the Y-chromosome, passed unchanged through male lines, to that of a known male relative of Hitler. The match confirmed the sample's origin, allowing the team to sequence much of his genome despite gaps from the 80-year-old material.

The most significant finding points to Kallmann syndrome, caused by a mutation in one copy of...