Ötzi, the Iceman who, at 5300 years old, is the oldest mummy in Europe
A new analysis of the famous mummy has found species of modern microbes that may still be active.
More than five millennia after his death in the Alps, Ötzi, the Iceman, may still harbor microbial lifeaccording to a new report published in the journal Microbiome.
Ötzi, a Copper Age hunter who died around 3300 BC., was discovered in 1991 emerging from the melting ice of a glacier in the Ötztal Alps, on the border between Italy and Austria. The freezing conditions that preserved his body suppressed the microbial activity normally responsible for decomposition, helping to create one of the best preserved human mummies ever found.
Now, researchers from Eurac Research in Italy have examined the microorganisms found on and inside Ötzi, revealing a mix of ancient microbes and modern species which may still be active today.
“A mummy’s microbiome is unique because we are dealing with microbes that are more than 5,000 years old and, at the same time, with modern microbes that have been introduced since the discovery,” said lead author Mohamed Sarhan.
The team took samples with a cotton swab from the mummy’s entire body, analyzed the meltwater present in the remains, and compared the results with previous samples collected from Ötzi’s stomach and intestines, as well as with soil collected from the site where he was discovered.
Using DNA and RNA sequencing, researchers have identified two major groups of microorganisms. The first consisted of ancient microbes that were likely part of Ötzi’s original microbiome during his lifetime. The second group included cold-adapted yeast found on your skin and in internal meltwater.
These yeasts appear to be closely related to microorganisms found in extreme environments, such as Antarctica, suggesting that they originated in the glacier that preserved the mummy, explains .
Researchers were particularly intrigued by evidence that some microbes may still be active. Although some samples showed signs of extreme age and degradation, others appeared relatively fresh.
The study also found that some microbial species may have adapted to modern preservation methods. After Ötzi’s discovery, his body was treated with phenol, a chemical compound used to prevent the growth of fungi. Three of the four yeast species identified are able to metabolize phenolpotentially giving them a survival advantage.
Researchers caution that it is still impossible to determine whether the active microbes represent an unbroken lineage dating back thousands of years or dormant organisms reactivated after the mummy thawed.
