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After months of experimentation, researchers have successfully used the ancient yeast of Ötzi the Ice Man to bake sourdough bread.
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The preserved remains of Ötzi contain living microorganisms, which allows us to gain an understanding of the state of the human intestine in ancient times.
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Scientists plan to use Ötzi's microorganisms for future projects, such as brewing beer.
More than 5,300 years after his death in the Alps, a frozen mummy is taking part in a modern fashion trend – baking sourdough bread.
Researchers recently extracted ancient yeast strains from the remains of Oetzi, found in the Italian Alps in 1991. In a new study published Wednesday, June 3, in the journal Microbiome , researchers have found evidence that various organisms were still living in Otzi's preserved remains, they report. USA Today , CBS News and The Telegraph .
According to USA Today, they used four types of yeast found in Ötzi's "brown" water to make the sourdough.
«"We didn't expect to find yeast," lead study author Mohamed Sarhan of the Eurac research institute in Bolzano, Italy, told AFP, CBS News reports.
Although their first attempts were unsuccessful, the team spent three months experimenting before finally creating what they described as "a very, very good sourdough bread," according to The Telegraph .
Otzi, also known as the Ice Man, is believed to have died on the border between what is now Italy and Austria from an arrowhead lodged in his shoulder, Reuters reports.
Ötzi, also known as the Iceman, was discovered in 1991. Photo: Leopold Necula/Sygma via Getty
More than five millennia later, "its body contains living, metabolically active organisms that actively respond to the environment," Sarhan told Reuters.
«"The mummy is, in the truest sense of the word, a living biological interface—a point of contact between the ancient world and the present, where microbes from 5,000 years ago coexist with organisms that emerged in the past decade," Sarkhan continued.
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Sarhan noted that Ötzi's gut structure reflects what humans had thousands of years ago, adding that highly processed foods, antibiotic use, and reduced exposure to the natural environment may be key factors explaining why these microbes have largely disappeared today.
«"Otzi essentially shows us what we have lost and perhaps what we might one day want to restore for health reasons," Sarhan said.
So what's next for scientists in connection with the "Iceman"? They plan to use microorganisms for brewing beer.
Read the original article on People.