Abstract. We show that the Kervaire invariant one elements θ j ∈ π 2 j+1 −2 S 0 exist only for j ≤ 6. By Browder's Theorem, this means that smooth framed manifolds of Kervaire invariant one exist only in dimensions 2, 6, 14, 30, 62, and possibly 126. Except for dimension 126 this resolves a longstanding problem in algebraic topology.