Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing - Ars Technica Skip to content Ars Technica home Sections Forum Subscribe Search AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Feature Reviews AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Forum Subscribe Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Pin to story Theme HyperLight Day & Night Dark System Search Sign In Sign in dialog... Sign in Please don’t lick the science Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing What’s the difference between a person, an artifact, and an ecosystem? Kiona N. Smith – Jun 6, 2026 7:15 am | 55 Sarhan holds up a Petri dish of yeast cultured from Ötzi's stomach. Credit: Sarhan et al. 2026 Sarhan holds up a Petri dish of yeast cultured from Ötzi's stomach.
Credit: Sarhan et al. 2026 Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s most famous mummy, is crawling with microbes, some long dead, some still eking out a living after thousands of years, and some very modern. After he died in the Ötztal Alps, the Copper Age man now known as Ötzi lay alone and forgotten for 5,300 years, until a group of hikers stumbled on his freeze-dried remains in 1991. Since then, he’s received a lot of attention from scientists, who have sequenced his DNA , pored over his last meal and the remains of his gut microbes, and examined his clothes and his broken tools .
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/otzis-mummified-body-is-home-to-ancient-strains-of-yeast-and-bacteria/
Credit: Sarhan et al. 2026 Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s most famous mummy, is crawling with microbes, some long dead, some still eking out a living after thousands of years, and some very modern. After he died in the Ötztal Alps, the Copper Age man now known as Ötzi lay alone and forgotten for 5,300 years, until a group of hikers stumbled on his freeze-dried remains in 1991. Since then, he’s received a lot of attention from scientists, who have sequenced his DNA , pored over his last meal and the remains of his gut microbes, and examined his clothes and his broken tools .
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/otzis-mummified-body-is-home-to-ancient-strains-of-yeast-and-bacteria/