Ötzi the Iceman: DNA analysis reveals true appearance of 5,300-year-old mummy

A recent DNA analysis revealed the true appearance of a mummified Ötzi the Iceman whose remains were found in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991. Following the study, the iceman’s remains are touted as one of the world’s most closely studied. The new analysis of his genetic makeup revealed that the 5,300-year-old mummy had dark skin, dark eyes and was most likely bald, CNN reported. The conclusion was made after archaeologists extracted DNA from Ötzi’s pelvis. 

Over the years the mortal remains of the Iceman have attracted archaeologists and scientists from around the world. The mystery over its violent death and how he ended up in the mountain are part of the reason why thousands visit the mummy contained in a cold cell at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. “It was previously believed that his skin had darkened during the mummification process,” said Albert Zink, head of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research. “It seems that the dark skin colour of the mummy is quite close to the Iceman’s skin colour during (his) lifetime,” he added. Zink co-authored the research regarding the remains of  Ötzi. The research was published in the scientific journal Cell Genomics on Wednesday. 

 “Oetzi the Iceman,” one of the oldest human glacier mummies, Image: AP

Zink noted that it is not surprising that the iceman was dark-skinned, stressing that many Europeans at that time were most likely to have darker-skinned pigmentation. “Early European farmers still had quite dark skin, which changed with time to lighter skin, as an adaptation to the changes in climate and diet of the farmers. Farmers consume much less vitamin D in their diet compared to hunter-gatherers,” he remarked, as per the report by CNN. “It seems that the Iceman still consumed quite a lot of meat, which was also confirmed by our analysis of his stomach showing the presence of ibex and deer meat,” he added.

One of the most detailed analysis 

The genome sequenced from DNA taken from Ötzi was more complete than a previous genome sequencing which was conducted in 2012. “The application of new methods makes Ötzi a scientific gift that just keeps on giving,”  said Lars Holger Pilø, co-director of the Secrets of the Ice project in Norway. “The advancement in sequencing technologies allowed us to generate a high coverage genome of the Iceman. This allowed us to obtain more accurate results,” Zink insisted. 

A memorial stands at the site where “Oetzi the Iceman” was found in the Italian Alps, Image: AP

When researchers compared Ötzi’s genome with those of ancient humans, they found that the iceman had more in common with the Anatolian farmers, CNN reported. “It does not completely change our knowledge about the Iceman but makes some things clearer,” Zink explained. “It shows that the Iceman most likely lived in a relatively isolated area with only limited contact to other populations and low gene flow from hunter-gatherer-ancestry-related populations,” he added.