Mummies, Mutations & a Mysterious Infection

Mummies have fascinated people for centuries, and one particularly intriguing example is Ötzi the Iceman, a naturally preserved mummy discovered by hikers in the Ötztal Alps on the border of Austria and Italy in 1991. Ötzi is considered Europe’s oldest known natural human mummy, trapped and conserved in glacial ice (rather than by artificial embalming) for over 5,300 years. His remarkably intact body has revealed some surprising secrets about his health, genetics, and even the infectious disease he carried.

Brown Eyes, Brown Hair, and No Milk Please!

Scientists have taken a close look at Ötzi’s genome, uncovering some surprising details. He had brown eyes, brown hair, and was lactose intolerant. Yes, that’s right, lactose intolerant! Although dairy had been part of the human diet after livestock were domesticated around 10,000 years ago, most humans at the time could not process milk after childhood. Dairy was often fermented to make it easier to consume. It wasn’t until around 6,000 years ago that a genetic mutation that enabled adults to digest lactose, allowed milk to be tolerated in adulthood, began to spread through Europe.

Heart and Lyme Diseases and the Iceman’s Final Days

Ötzi’s genome also revealed genetic markers associated with heart disease, although that wasn’t what caused his death: he was killed by an arrow shot into his back. Perhaps the most surprising discovery however, was that he carried Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, making him the oldest known case of this infection on record.

It turns out mummies aren’t so different from us after all, and perhaps not quite so scary!