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The Secrets of our DNA

How Genetics has Changed the World From the Award-Winning Scientist
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The Secrets of our DNA

By: Turi King
Narrated by: Turi King
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the award-winning scientist who identified the bones of Richard III in a Leicester carpark and genetically analysed Hitler, discover the myth-busting book that provides a window into the world of modern genetics and reveals the extraordinary true stories and mysteries solved using the power of DNA.


Professor Turi King, takes us on a journey to understand the real science behind some of the world’s most famous crimes, from dead kings to modern murders, showing how DNA can both convict and exonerate. And moving from mistaken dinosaur DNA to Angelina Jolie’s BRCA1 gene, from eugenics to epigenetics, and the study of Hitler’s DNA, she explains how genetics informs every aspect of our lives, why it affects us all, and what it can – and can’t tell you about who you are.

Fascinating, compassionate and entirely captivating, The Secrets of Our DNA shows us how we are all interconnected. It also reminds us that while our DNA can yield information about our predisposition to disease and other conditions, it need not be our destiny. We should all be a part of the discussion as to how incredible new genetic discoveries are utilized for the benefit of all life on earth.

'Turi King combines fascinating history and science with brilliant storytelling' - Professor Alice Roberts

'A glimpse into the fascinating world of DNA under the guidance of a true expert. Always accessible, enjoyable and thought provoking. Who could ask for more?' - Professor Sue Black

© Turi King 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Anthropology Biological Sciences Evolution & Genetics Genetics Law Science Social Sciences

Critic Reviews

A glimpse into the fascinating world of DNA under the guidance of a true expert.
Always accessible, enjoyable and thought provoking. Who could ask for more?

(Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome, author of All That Remains)
Turi King combines fascinating history and science with brilliant storytelling, taking us from homicides to wildlife crime, DNA tests to eugenics. (Professor Alice Roberts)
Turi King is a brilliant scientist and an enticing storyteller which makes this book both thrilling and highly informative. I think Columbo would have loved it. (Robin Ince, comedian and author of The Importance of Being Interested)
The forensic use of DNA is as close to magic as anything in science today: that a tiny fragment of material can identify a dead king, convict a killer or exonerate the innocent. Turi King's eye-witness account of how this magic was invented is a fascinating read. (Matt Ridley, author of Genome.)
Learn about genetics and why it is so useful. (Sir Paul Nurse OM CH FRS,Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2001)
This enthralling book explains how modern genetics, underpinned by fast-moving DNA technology, has come to inform myriad areas of 21st-century life. (Caroline Sanderson)
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