{"id":2000121708,"date":"2026-08-07T10:48:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000121708"},"modified":"2026-08-07T10:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:48:52","slug":"scientists-discover-ancient-microorganisms-still-living-on-otzi-the-iceman-after-5300-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/scientists-discover-ancient-microorganisms-still-living-on-otzi-the-iceman-after-5300-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists discover ancient microorganisms still living on \u00d6tzi, the Iceman after 5,300 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 5,000 years after his death, \u00d6tzi the Iceman continues to surprise scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new study has discovered that the famous frozen mummy is still carrying a unique collection of microorganisms, including ancient gut bacteria and cold-loving yeasts that have survived through thousands of years trapped in ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00d6tzi was discovered in 1991 by hikers in the \u00d6tztal Alps on the border between Austria and Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the naturally preserved mummy has become one of the world\u2019s most valuable archaeological discoveries, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study the life, health and environment of a person who lived during the Copper Age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers from Eurac Research examined different samples from \u00d6tzi\u2019s body, including material from his internal tissues, stomach contents, surface ice and meltwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their goal was to separate microorganisms that were part of \u00d6tzi\u2019s body while he was alive from those that arrived after his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study found genetic evidence of \u00d6tzi\u2019s original gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms that lived inside his digestive system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists said these ancient bacteria are similar to those found in early human populations and are rarely seen in modern industrial societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers also made an unexpected discovery: cold-adapted yeasts linked to extremely cold environments, including Antarctica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These microorganisms appear to have come from the glacier where \u00d6tzi remained frozen for thousands of years and may have continued surviving on the mummy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to scientists, the discovery changes how researchers view ancient frozen remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of being simple preserved objects, mummies like \u00d6tzi can be considered dynamic biological systems where microorganisms continue to interact with their environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Iceman is not just a historical object,\u201d researchers explained, noting that some microorganisms have remained connected with \u00d6tzi\u2019s journey through time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists also believe the discovery could have applications beyond archaeology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold-adapted microorganisms can function in extremely low temperatures, meaning they may one day help industries develop processes that require less energy, including low-temperature fermentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings also highlight the importance of protecting \u00d6tzi\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mummy is currently kept under carefully controlled conditions at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, where experts continuously monitor its preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, published in the journal Microbiome, provides a new window into ancient human biology and shows that even after thousands of years, life in microscopic form can continue to tell stories about the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ancient microbes found on \u00d6tzi revealed hidden secrets from a frozen past.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The frozen mummy is revealing secrets about ancient human life, survival and the hidden world of microbes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000121712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000121708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-news","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000121712,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/webp","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/otzi-iceman-mummy.webp","width":1920,"height":1080}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000121708"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000121722,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121708\/revisions\/2000121722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000121712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000121708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000121708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000121708"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000121708"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000121708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}