Ancient yeast from Ötzi reveals Alpine microbial life

Scientists have extracted yeast from the digestive tract of Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old mummy found in the Alps on the border between Italy and Austria, according to reporting by Phys.org. The discovery marks the first recovery of living microbes from the ancient human remains, offering researchers an unprecedented window into the microbial ecology of the high mountain environment millennia ago. The yeast has survived intact in the frozen conditions of the Alpine peaks for more than five thousand years.

The research team used the recovered microbes to produce a functioning sourdough bread, demonstrating the viability of the ancient culture. Ötzi was killed by an arrow wound while traversing the mountains before the Egyptian pyramids were constructed. The find underscores how the extreme cold and altitude of the Alps have preserved organic material that would decompose elsewhere, creating a natural archive of prehistoric life.