Scientists conducting a comprehensive microbiological analysis of Ötzi the Iceman have identified multiple microorganism populations on the ancient mummy’s remains. The research team employed various sampling techniques on ice from the mummy’s surface, internal meltwater, swabs, intestinal tissue, and stomach contents to distinguish between microbes present during Ötzi’s lifetime and those that colonized the body after his death. Findings were published in the journal Microbiome.
Genetic material recovered from internal tissues revealed bacteria that comprised Ötzi’s original gut flora, with characteristics closely matching the limited number of known microbiomes from early human populations. Many of these bacterial species are rarely encountered in people living in modern industrialized societies, making the mummy a valuable resource for understanding ancient human microbiota. Previously collected soil samples from the discovery site during recovery in 1991 provided environmental reference material for comparison.
The research also uncovered an unexpected finding: cold-adapted yeast species that likely originated from the glacier and have persisted on the mummy to the present day. These highly specialized organisms, found in samples of skin, internal meltwater, and stomach contents, display genetic relationships to strains inhabiting extremely cold environments such as Antarctica. The presence of both degraded ancient DNA and well-preserved modern DNA indicates these microorganisms continue to exist in the current storage conditions of minus six degrees Celsius and high humidity, potentially in a dormant state.
Conservation treatments applied after Ötzi’s recovery may have inadvertently created favorable conditions for certain yeast species. Three of the four identified yeast species possess genetic capability to metabolize phenol, a substance used historically to remove fungal growth from the mummy’s surface.
The research carries implications beyond archaeological preservation. Cold-adapted microorganisms capable of functioning at temperatures inhibitory to most other species could support industrial processes requiring reduced energy consumption, such as low-temperature fermentation. The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, which oversees the mummy’s conservation, continues monitoring its condition while researchers work to fully understand the preservation mechanisms of glacial mummies.
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