Stomach Of Ancient Iceman Held Microbes Like Ours

"Researchers have looked in the stomach of an ancient ice mummy and found the remains of the bacteria that lived in his gut. The results, published in the journal Science, suggest that the community of microbes living on and in humans has existed for millennia."

"Roughly 5,300 years ago, this particular man was hiking across the Oetztal Alps between what's now Italy and Austria when somebody shot him in the back with an arrow. The remains of the fellow, who came to be called Oetzi the Iceman, made headlines when discovered in 1991."

"'He's very well-preserved. You can see that all his tissues and also his skin is still preserved,' says Albert Zink, the head of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy."

"Years of study revealed details about the iceman's diet, health and genetic heritage."