Within a mummy, researchers have discovered remains of ancient microbes—unexpected “signs of life” that might have endured for almost 5,300 years.
According to news agency SWNS, the study, which was just published in the journal Microbiome, focuses on Ötzi the Iceman, a mummy discovered by a tourist inside an Alps glacier in 1991.
The remnants of Ötzi date to 3300 B.C., before the construction of Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. He was about 5 feet 2 inches tall and between 25 and 35 years old when he passed away.
Researchers discovered cold-adapted yeasts and genetic remnants of bacteria from Ötzi’s ancient gut microbiome while examining the mummy at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.
Using tissue samples, swabs, and genetic analysis, they also distinguished between bacteria that colonized Ötzi’s body after his death and those that were present during his existence.
The scientists examined meltwater inside the mummy and ice from Ötzi’s body. Additionally, researchers used stomach-content and intestinal tissue data from earlier investigations.
The discovery of cold-adapted yeast species—likely from the glacial environment—that have survived on Ötzi’s body to this day was unexpected.
Another distinctive aspect of Ötzi’s microbiome, according to researchers, is the presence of gut bacteria that are uncommon in the intestines of contemporary humans.
