Did Hitler have a micropenis? New documentary analyzes the Nazi dictator's DNA

"While some of its conclusions definitively put an end to harmful myths and superstitions such as the claim that the dictator had Jewish ancestry, which is completely false others allow for a dose of sensationalism, like the idea that Adolf Hitler had a micropenis or was missing a testicle. Still other findings open important ethical debates, such as the researchers' speculative suggestion that the man who has come to symbolize evil in human history may have had a predisposition to neurological syndromes such as autism."

"geneticist Turi King, who among other major discoveries identified the remains of the legendary Richard III in an open-air parking lot in Leicester in 2012. I really agonized over whether or not I wanted to be involved [in the documentary], King admits in the opening minutes of the show. But she knew that the research would happen sooner or later, and she decided to join in to ensure the necessary caution and rigor."

"Hitler's DNA was obtained from bloodstains on the sofa in the bunker where the Nazi dictator shot himself in the head, shortly after Allied troops entered Berlin. U.S. Army Colonel Roswell P. Rosengren was able to access the shelter and had the presence of mind to cut out a piece of the upholstery, which has been on display for years at the Gettysburg History Museum."

A two-episode Channel 4 documentary presents genetic analysis of blood from Hitler's bunker and provokes controversy. Some conclusions debunk harmful myths, including the false claim of Jewish ancestry. Other claims verge on sensationalism, suggesting physical anomalies such as a micropenis or a missing testicle. Researchers also speculate about possible predispositions to neurological syndromes including autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or ADHD. The project involved historians and geneticists including Alex Kay and Turi King, who joined to ensure caution and rigor. The DNA source was bloodstains on a bunker sofa removed by U.S. Army Colonel Roswell P. Rosengren; no living relatives agreed to comparison.

Read at english.elpais.com