The true appearance of Ötzi the Iceman has been revealed through new DNA analysis

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Ötzi the Iceman, whose frozen remains were found in a valley high in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, is perhaps the most studied corpse in the world.

The mystery about his violent death, who he was and how he ended up in a mountain pass has sparked fascination far beyond the field of archaeology. Every year, thousands visit his mummy, which is housed in a special cold cell at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano, Italy.

A new study of ancient DNA recovered from the Ötzi Basin suggests that it still has some secrets to let go. Analysis of his genetic makeup showed that the 5,300-year-old mummy was dark-skinned, dark-eyed and likely bald. This contrasts with Ötzi’s reconstruction which depicts a pale-skinned man with a full head of hair and beard.

“It was previously thought that his skin darkened during the mummification process,” said Albert Zink, head of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, a private research center based in Bolzano.

The mummy’s dark skin color appears to be very close to the snowman’s skin color during the quest “For life,” said Zink, who is one of the authors of the research published Wednesday in the scientific journal Cell Genomics.

It is not surprising that Ötzi is dark-skinned, Zinke said via email, noting that many Europeans At that time the skin color will probably be darker than many Europeans nowadays.

“Early European farmers still had quite dark skin, which over time changed to lighter skin, as an adaptation to changes in climate and farmers’ diet. Farmers consumed much less vitamin D in their diet than hunter-gatherers,” he explained.

He added, “It seems that the snowman still consumed a lot of meat, and this was also confirmed by our analysis of his stomach, which showed the presence of caribou and deer meat.”

Zink’s co-author Johannes Krause, director of the Department of Archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said the findings suggest that the Iceman in life is very similar to the mummy itself.

“It is remarkable how biased the reconstruction is by our preconceived notion of Stone Age humans from Europe,” Krause said in a statement.

Archaeologist Lars Holger Bellew, co-director of the Norway Ice Secrets Project, said that while ancient DNA analysis indicates that Ötzi suffered from male pattern baldness, it is not possible to be sure how much hair he actually lost in his lifetime. Ötzi studied, but did not participate in the latter research.

“Otzi may have been bald for genetic reasons, but the almost complete baldness he has now is, in my opinion, more likely because it occurred after his death,” said Bello.

“The hair on the skin often falls out while (the body) is inside and out of the ice (and sometimes in the water) as the epidermis decomposes.”

The genome sequence from the Ötzi Basin was more complete than an earlier genome pieced together in 2012 when the ancient DNA field was still in its infancy, according to the study. The latest research also helps clear up a dilemma in Ötzi’s origin, Bello said.

“The application of the new methods makes Ötzi a scientific gift that keeps on giving,” Bello added.

The new study shows that this early finding may have been due to contamination with modern human DNA.

“Advances in sequencing technologies have allowed us to generate a high-coverage Iceman genome. This has allowed us to get more accurate results,” Zink said.

The genome also seems to rule out a previously proposed genetic affinity between Ötzi and present-day Sardinia.

When the researchers in the new study compared Ötzi’s genome with that of other ancient humans, they found that it had more in common with early Anatolian farmers — now from Turkey — who had little interaction with its hunter-gatherer European contemporaries.

“It doesn’t completely change our knowledge of the Iceman but it does make some things clearer,” Zink explained. “It shows that the Iceman likely lived in a relatively isolated area with only limited contact with other populations and low genetic flow from populations associated with hunter-gatherers.”

Nearly every part of Ötzi and his possessions has been analysed, drawing an intimate picture of life 5,300 years ago.

stomach contents Provide information about his last meal where did he come from His arms revealed that he was right-handedand gave his clothes a A rare look at what ancient people wore. Zink said the team hopes to uncover more details, such as the composition of their microbiome.

Bello said it is not the first time that a chapter of Otzi’s remarkable story has been rewritten.

Originally, it was believed that Ötzi froze to death, but A.J 2001 X-rays reveal an arrowhead into his shoulder, which could have been fatal. He was also shot in the head, probably at the same time, and his right hand showed a defensive wound.

“The whole story of the Iceman is interesting, including the mystery of his violent death … and the question of why he was up there in the high mountains when he was killed,” said Zinke.