The controversial genetic science that's busting the myths of Hitler's bunker

Did Richard III actually have a hunchback? Was 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.

- Will Rogers-Coltman

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.

But what was the actual process of uncovering the genetic traits of Hitler? And how do we know the sample was his? "The provenance of this particular sample is from President Eisenhower's public information officer, Colonel Roswell Rosengren," explains King. "He was one of the only people allowed to go into Hitler's bunker after he killed himself, and took a cutting of a blood stained sofa in the room."