Did Richard III actually have a hunchback? Was Adolf Hitler really Jewish? For years, these ideas have persisted. Now, thanks to the work of geneticist Professor Turi King, Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, we know that both are tall tales.
King blends history with genealogy, analysing the genetic codes of famed figures of the past with the aim to uncover inherited traits from samples of their DNA. Last month, she made headlines for her work on Adolf Hitler’s DNA. King and her team’s findings, which were aired in the Channel 4 documentary, Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, caused a media storm and considerable backlash.
