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6d ago

Ötzi's Mummy Yields Viable Cold‑Adapted Yeasts and Ancient Gut DNA

Researchers say some microbes may be active under current museum conditions, urging genomic monitoring to safeguard the remains.

A researcher examines the mummified remains of Otzi, a man whose body was preserved in glacial ice for more than 5,300 years, in a conservation chamber at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, in this undated photograph. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Eurac Research/Marion Lafogler/Handout via REUTERS
A researcher examines the foot of the naturally mummified remains of Otzi, a man whose body was preserved in glacial ice for more than 5,300 years, in a refrigeration chamber at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, in this undated photograph. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Eurac Research/Marion Lafogler/Handout via REUTERS
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Overview

  • A peer‑reviewed study published on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, reports researchers cultured four cold‑adapted yeast species from Ötzi’s tissues and meltwater, proving living microbes can be grown from the 5,300‑year‑old mummy.
  • One yeast genus, Glaciozyma, rose sharply in relative abundance between 2010 and 2019 while showing reduced DNA damage, a pattern the team says is consistent with recent metabolic activity or replication under −6°C storage.
  • Metagenomic analysis recovered DNA from anaerobic gut bacteria in internal tissues that show damage patterns expected for ancient DNA, supporting that these microbes were part of Ötzi’s original Copper Age gut community.
  • The study finds modern microbes were introduced by conservation practices such as humidifying spray water and that some survivors carry genes to break down phenol, a disinfectant used in the 1990s, although researchers report no widespread structural damage so far.
  • Authors recommend routine molecular surveillance using RNA and metabolite assays, plus review of temperature, humidity and protocols to limit microbial growth, while outside experts caution that two comparative time points limit claims of continuous millennia‑long replication.