Yeast found in iceman’s 5,000-year-old gut has been used to make sourdough

Microbiologist Mohamed Sarhan examining colonies of yeast taken from a sample of Ötzi’s stomach (Picture: Eurac Research/Andrea De Giovanni/Cover Media)

Scientists have used yeast from the gut of Ötzi the Iceman to make sourdough bread.

The 5,300-year-old hunter, who was found frozen in the Alps in 1991, has fascinated reseachers for decades.

Now a team has uncovered new insights into the complex microbial ecosystem surrounding Ötzi, revealing that some microorganisms from the glacier where he was found have been associated with him ever since.

Using a range of samples and analytical techniques, scientists were able to separate microorganisms from his lifetime and those that colonised his remains after death, both in the ice and during more than three decades of modern preservation.

Frank Maixner, director of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, said: ‘We s...