Scientists resurrect 5,300-year-old yeast from Alpine mummy's stomach

Scientists have discovered living yeast in the preserved digestive tract of Oetzi the Iceman, a mummified figure who died more than 5,300 years ago on the Alpine border between Austria and Italy, according to research reported by Phys.org and cited by Agence France-Presse. The yeast has survived in the mummy's gut for millennia, and researchers have successfully cultured it to produce sourdough bread, demonstrating that the microorganism remained viable across five thousand years of frozen preservation.

Oetzi was killed by an arrow to the back while traversing the high Alps, predating the construction of Egypt's pyramids. His body was preserved naturally in the glacier, becoming one of the world's oldest intact human remains. The discovery of living microbes within his stomach adds another dimension to the archaeological and biological understanding of ancient Alpine life and the microbial ecology of the Neolithic period.