Ötzi the Iceman’s Microbes Still Show Signs of Life After 5,300 Years

Research out today shows the remains of Ötzi “the Iceman” are teeming with living microorganisms.

Scientists in Italy conducted an extensive survey of Ötzi, a mummy naturally frozen in a mountain glacier for over 5,000 years. They found ample bacteria and fungi inside and on Ötzi’s body, some of which might have survived for millennia and appear to be active even today under tightly maintained storage conditions.

Since his discovery, scientists have learned much about Ötzi’s life and the Copper Age society he was a part of. That includes his last meal and the likely possibility that he was killed via an arrow to his back. The tools he was found with were also sourced from different, sometimes very distant regions, suggesting the existence of a lengthy trade route along that part of Europe.

Frank Maixner, head of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research...and his team weren’t just interested in identifying the microorganisms preserved inside his body but also those on the surface, which could include microbes inadvertently introduced to Ötzi after he was unearthed.

“First, we identified ancient gut bacteria preserved inside Ötzi that are extremely rare in people living modern, industrialized lifestyles today—though they can still be found in people with traditional, non-industrialized ways of life,” Maixner told Gizmodo. “These microbes give us a unique and precious snapshot of what the human gut looked like in the Copper Age, before industrialization reshaped our microbiome.”

An even bigger surprise came when the team was able to successfully grow four living groups of yeast fungi pulled from Ötzi’s body—one of which came from deep inside his stomach.

“These cold-loving yeasts appear to have survived for thousands of years and are still biologically active today,” Maixner said

selections from the keywords, sorted:

This Artifact Was Unknown Before Ötzi the Iceman [2:55] [10/02/2025]
New DNA Study Examines Ötzi the Iceman's Neighbors [07/27/2025]
Scientists reconstruct Ötzi the Iceman's frantic final climb [07/30/2021]
Scientists identify 5,300 year-old sinew bowstring used by Otzi the Iceman [01/12/2020]
What Ötzi the Iceman ate before he was murdered [07/15/2018]
Ancient 'Iceman' shows signs of a well-balanced last meal [07/12/2018]
Otzi the iceman really was killed by an ARROW: Europe's oldest mummy (tr) [01/05/2018]
Who Killed the Iceman? Clues Emerge in a Very Cold Case [03/27/2017]
New study of Iceman reveals oldest known example of red blood cells [05/09/2015]
Anthropologists Have Mapped All 61 Tattoos On Ötzi The Iceman [01/29/2015]
Scan finds new tattoos on 5300-year-old Iceman [01/24/2015]
Ötzi's non-human DNA: Opportunistic pathogen discovered in Iceman tissue biopsy [07/27/2014]
Scientists say Ötzi the Iceman has living relatives, 5,300 years later [10/16/2013]
Living Relatives Of Iceman Mummy Found (Ötzi, 5,300 Years Old) [10/14/2013]
Ice Mummy May Have Smashed Eye in Fall [12/05/2011]
Iceman's Stomach Sampled -- Filled With Goat Meat [06/28/2011]
Scientists finally determine iceman Otzi's last meal [Ice Man] [06/22/2011]
The Iceman's Last Meal [06/20/2011]
Researcher's Say Italy's 5,000-Year-Old Iceman Died From Head Trauma, Not Arrow (Oetzi) [08/29/2007]
Tattoos - The Ancient And Mysterious History [01/03/2007]
An ancient art becomes mainstream: The acceptance of tattoo art helps remove former stigma [07/26/2006]
Iceman's bones lead scientists to his home turf [10/31/2003]
Iceman Found in Italy Didn't Wander Far [10/30/2003]
Italy's 5,000-Year-Old Iceman Put Up a Fight [DNA of 4 foes, venison and ibex his final meal] [08/14/2003]
DNA reveals how the Italian Iceman went down fighting [08/12/2003]
'Iceman' was murdered, science sleuths say [08/12/2003]
Ice Man Cometh - From Italy (Oetzi) [07/26/2003]
Secrets Of A Stone Age Rambo (Otzi, The Iceman) [05/05/2003]
Dozens of women want Bronze Age hunter's babies [04/25/2003]

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