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Image Credit: Mannivu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New Study Reveals the Iceman’s Microbiome Is Still Changing
A new microbiome study has shown that the famous Iceman mummy, also known as Ötzi, is not a completely static archaeological object, but a complex biological environment where ancient microbes and modern colonizers coexist. The research examined microbial communities associated with the 5,300-year-old alpine glacier mummy and its conservation environment.
The Iceman was discovered in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, near the present-day border between Austria and Italy. Today, the mummy is preserved at the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano under controlled conditions, at about −6 °C and very high humidity. These conditions are designed to limit decay, but the new study shows that some cold-adapted microorganisms may still survive or slowly proliferate.
Researchers used several methods, including DNA sequencing, metagenomic analysis, microbial cultivation, and genome-level comparison. Their goal was to distinguish between ancient microbes preserved within the mummy, environmental microbes from the glacier or burial setting, and modern microbes introduced during conservation.
The study identified ancient microbial signals inside the mummy, including bacteria associated with the gut. Some of these microbes showed ancient DNA damage patterns, supporting their interpretation as part of an ancient internal microbiome rather than modern contamination. These findings provide a rare glimpse into intestinal microbial communities from the Copper Age.
At the same time, the researchers found clear evidence of modern or recent microbial activity on the mummy’s external surfaces. Cold-adapted yeasts, including Glaciozyma, Mrakia, Phenoliferia, and Goffeauzyma, were detected on the skin, body water, and internal samples. One yeast group, Glaciozyma, increased strongly between samples taken in 2010 and 2019, suggesting that some microbes may be active or capable of growth even under museum storage conditions.
The study also found that conservation practices may influence the mummy’s surface microbiome. Spray water used for humidity regulation appears to have contributed bacteria such as Methylobacterium and Sphingomonas to the external surface. Other microbes showed genes linked to cold survival, phenol degradation, and tissue-degrading enzymes, which may be relevant for long-term conservation risk.
The researchers emphasize that the Iceman remains an irreplaceable archaeological and biological archive. Their results suggest that conservation should include regular genomic monitoring, not only temperature and humidity control. Tracking microbial changes over time may help detect early signs of biological activity before they threaten the mummy’s preservation.
Overall, the study offers a new view of the Iceman as a dynamic heritage object. It preserves ancient microbial traces from the Copper Age while also responding to modern conservation conditions, making microbial surveillance an important part of future mummy preservation.
Published on: 03-06-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: Microbiome Journal
