Otzi the Iceman’s DNA has finally been sequenced

Finally, scientists have successfully been able to sequence the DNA of iceman Otzi. The complete research was published in the journal Nature Communications. The iceman Otzi was discovered from the Tyrolean Alps.

The Iceman is as old as 5,300 years and was discovered by hikers near the Italian-Austrian borders in the Alps in 1991. The fossil was preserved well and has become one of the most studied cadavers.

During the autopsy of his remains, it was found that Otzi suffered from hardened arteries and tooth cavities. The iceman had tattoos and gorged on ibex before dying from an arrow lodged in his back.

Dr. Albert Zink is the head of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy and is leading the new study of this sequencing.

In 2008, researchers revealed that the complete sequence of DNA taken from Otzi’s cellular mitochondria contained alot of mutations that are not present in modern-day populations. This led to the speculation that Otzi belonged to a race that vanished entirely
from Europe.

The Iceman’s Y chromosomes posses mutations that are now commonly found in men only from the regions of Sardinia and Corsica. His nuclear genome puts his closest present-day relatives in the same area as well. It is also possible for Otzi’s kin or kind to
have lived across Europe before they vanished out or interbred with other races everywhere except on those islands.

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Posted by Taimoor Tariq on Mar 8 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry